


Not A Lady

by startrekkingaroundasgard



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: A lil bit anyway, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Handcuffs, Injury, Loki is a prisoner, Smut, jailbreak on Asgard, shield agent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 18:37:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14219277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard
Summary: Reader is a retired SHIELD agent that gets called in by Tony Stark to keep an eye on Loki while the Avengers hide him on Earth. What starts as nothing more than an irritating assignment soon turns into something far more as the reader is dragged back into the folds of an organisation she hates, at the same time falling for the man that is supposed to be her prisoner.





	1. Chapter 1

There was nothing you hated more than being summoned but this was a meeting that you knew you’d be foolish to miss. When you’d woken up, you’d checked your phone and seen ten miscalls all from the same - blocked - number. Grudgingly, barely awake or aware of the world, you’d rung back and then spent an hour on hold. When you finally got through, you were told in the shortest tone to meet the others at the Tower for an emergency meeting.

Unfortunately, whilst the you could see the obnoxiously large tower for miles around, actually getting anywhere near it always presented a challenge. Clearly this meeting had not been kept a secret for hoards of people surrounded the building, blocking the streets all around. You pushed and shoved your way through, feeling immensely grateful that you were just another everyday human rather than one of the famous Avengers. You suspected that they’d have had even more trouble making their way in than you.

Finally reaching your destination, you nodded at the receptionist who immediately recognised you. She had your ID badge ready by the time you’d reached the desk and told you, “They’re all up there, even Thor. Whatever is going on, it must be big for him to come back.”

"Thanks for the warning, Jan,“ you said, rubbing your eyes. You had a feeling that this wasn’t going to be your day. You clipped the badge on to your blazer pocket and looked around the entrance hallway for a clock. "How long have they been waiting?”

She gave you a look that told you that you really didn’t want to know. With a sigh, you thanked her and headed for the lift. As you ascended, you found your palms were getting sweaty. It had been years since you’d been here last and that hadn’t ended well. You could barely believe you were scared to see them again; you’d faced down far worse than the Avengers and lived. Surely this would be no worse…

Opening the door to the meeting room, you stepped into the middle of an extremely heated argument. Tony, Natasha and Steve were all on one side of the table shouting over Thor who stood on the other side. Bruce sat in the middle, looking very uncomfortable as he tried to calm both sides down. Clint stood almost casually against a wall, watching intently as the madness ensued.

You coughed loudly and the room suddenly went quiet. They all turned to you in confusion, except for Tony. He looked over you, studying how you’d changed since you’d last met, before giving you the smallest of smiles. His eyes fell on the spare seat beside him which you awkwardly walked over to take. The others, following your lead, also sat back down.

"So… What did I miss?“ you asked, breaking the silence. Even though they were no longer shouting, it felt like the atmosphere in the room was more tense than before and you realised that no-one but Tony knew you’d be attending this meeting.

"I want to ask you a favour,” Tony said. He seemed oblivious to the dark glare that Natasha was shooting him from behind; that, or he just didn’t care.

"You don’t have any favours left,“ you pointed out slowly. Already you didn’t like where this conversation seemed to be heading. Almost hoping that he’d let you leave if you stuck to that line, you added, "You used the last one before I left.”

He raised an eyebrow at that, both of you knowing that that wasn’t quite true, before saying, “I assume you aren’t so removed from the world that you missed the events of a few months ago.”

You nodded your head, knowing what he was referring to. Thor’s brother, Loki, had unleashed hell onto the city and left destruction in his wake. The effects were still evident although most buildings were beginning to be patched up now - in no short part due to Tony’s funding of the renovations - but what that had to do with you being there you didn’t know.

"A small issue has arisen and we need your help to deal with it,“ he told you.

"I don’t want any part in this,” you said. Your hand closed around the handle of your bag as you prepared to leave. You’d gotten out of all of this. It hadn’t been easy; you’d had to fight tooth and nail to free yourself from SHIELD and you were not going to be dragged back into the fold. Not for Tony. Not for anyone.

"If she does not wholly consent then my father will not allow it,“ Thor said before Tony could respond. The god suddenly seemed to realise he didn’t actually know you and introduced himself, stretching out a large hand to you. "Pardon my manners. I am Thor of Asgard. On behalf of all here, I apologise for dragging you into this, Lady…?”

"Y/N. Just Y/N. I’m no lady.“

"Too true,” Tony muttered under his breath. You instinctively whacked his arm with the back of your hand which only seemed to reinforce his point. Taking back control of the proceedings, he looked at you and said to the room, “She came. She would have stayed away if she truly wanted out.”

Your grip on the handle tightened. Regretting it almost immediately, you snapped, “Will you just tell me why I am here so I can leave already?”

"My father has decided that Loki can no longer stay in our cells. There is a lot of anger towards him and what he has done. To keep him in Asgard is a risk for us all,“ Thor explained. You realised where this was heading before the words even left his mouth. "He needs to be moved and it was decided that bringing him here to Midgard was the best option for all of the realms.”

"But after what he did here, there is no reason for us to help him,“ Natasha interjected. She was holding back her temper, you could still remember the signs, but her anger seeped into her words anyway.

Your gaze wandered around the room to see varying degrees of agreement on the faces of the other Avengers. There was also something else in their eyes when they looked at you but you couldn’t place it. Returning your gaze to Tony, you slowly asked, "What do you want me to do about this, Tony?”

"He needs to be kept somewhere secure but I am not letting him stay here after the damage he did on his last visit.“

He didn’t even need to continue. Your growing suspicions had already been confirmed. You stood yourself up and, smoothing your skirt, turned towards the door. "You are asking far more than a favour. I am not babysitting a war criminal for you. It was good to see you all again. Thor, it was lovely to meet you. Tony, go to Hell.”

You made it further down the corridor than you’d expected before Tony’s hand wrapped around your arm. In a hushed voice, he said, “I know you and I have had our disagreements in the past but I need you to do this for me.”

You waited expectantly for more of an explanation but none came your way. You pulled you arm free and sighed. Running a hand through your hair, you replied, “I left this SHIELD nonsense behind for a reason, Tony. Please don’t make me come back.”

"They don’t know about this, Y/N.“

And just like that, some of your reservations fell away. It was ridiculous but the idea of keeping the god of mischief around on Earth behind SHIELD’s back was surprisingly appealing. It would be dangerous and irresponsible but you almost thought it would be worth it to get back at the organisation that had nearly ruined your life.

Tony must have sensed the shift in your stance because the faintest of grins began to tug at his lips. "It wouldn’t be for too long. Just until the unrest in Asgard has settled.”

"Since when do you care so much about the fate of the universe, huh? The Tony I remember barely cared about the work he was doing. Saving people was never his motivation, especially not when it concerned war criminals.“

He shrugged, offering no reasoning. Clearly a lot hand changed since you’d left.

Knowing that you’d regret it - nothing you ever did for Tony ended up being straightforward or easy - you gave a sombre nod. "I’ll do it but I’m not happy about it. At the first sign of trouble I want out.”

"Looking after Loki is only going to be trouble.“

You scoffed. "I don’t mean him. I can handle a disillusioned god. Any sign of SHIELD and I’m done. And I want your word that this is it; you won’t ask me for any more help after this.”

Tony hesitated for a moment before saying, “If that is what you want, then okay. I give you my word.”

You returned to the meeting room without another word, where you both took your seats. You looked around at the so called protectors of your world and sighed. “What sort of timetable are we looking at then? How long are the shifts?”

It was Natasha that finally answered. She seemed genuinely saddened by her words, clearly wishing there was more she could do to help out an old friend. “The moment we get involved is the moment that SHIELD realises what is happening. The point is to keep Loki hidden. You’re in this alone.”

You resisted the urge to bang your head against the table. What had you gotten yourself into? You looked over to Thor who was regarding you with curiosity. You understood his thoughts; no normal human in their right mind would agree to a task like this.

"Well, then. When do I start my duties?“

"I will speak to my father this evening. If all goes to plan, I shall return with Loki tomorrow.”

You gave a stout nod and shut out the rest of the conversation as they discussed logistics and argued some more over whether this was actually necessary or not. When it was finally over, Bruce called you over for a quiet chat as the others left. His eyes betrayed his true feelings. “Stark was wrong to pull you into this.”

"Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,“ you said with false confidence. You truly didn’t know how you were going to be able to keep the god of mischief locked up and feared the repercussions should you fail in your task. "If things go south, I know a big guy I can call.”

"Last resort, please,“ he said lightly. You both knew that if you called him, though, he’d come running. You’d worked with him in the past and he’d never let you down before. "Honestly, though, Y/N. Don’t let your guard down. You haven’t seen anything like Loki before.”

"I’ll be fine,“ you repeated with a humourless smile. "I always am.”

You were met by Tony down in the reception. Rolling your eyes, convinced that you’d managed to escape him before, you leant against a wall and waited for whatever useless advice her was about to give. Instead he just handed you a small black box and a dirty looking metal coin.

"Don’t say no,“ he said as you opened the box. It was a gorgeous silver bracelet with a beautiful emerald gem centred on a flower charm. You realised why he thought you’d try to return it when you finally managed to place it. Tony gave you a sad smile. "She’d have wanted you to have it.”

You had to take a deep breath to steady yourself. The bracelet had belonged to your closest friend and partner in the field when you’d worked for SHIELD. Her death had been the final straw and you’d left soon after the incident but had never known what happened to this, her most treasured possession. With a deep breath, you slipped it onto your wrist and whispered, “Thank you.”

"And you know what to do with the coin.“ At your nod, he wished you luck and promised to drop in on you as soon as he could. You knew you’d not see him any time soon but appreciated the sentiment. Anyway, the coin was worth more than his words. It was a promise. A favour.

For years it had secretly changed hands within SHIELD. The owner of the coin could exchange it for a favour of any magnitude. Tony handing it over told you exactly how dangerous he considered this to be and you found yourself hoping that you’d make it through long enough to call it back in sometime.

You didn’t sleep well that night. You spent the whole night tossing and turning, the rain on your window for once keeping you awake instead of helping you sleep. As morning came, you were up before the sun had risen trying to prepare yourself. It was the longest wait of your life, waiting for Thor to knock on your door. When the moment came, you almost wondered if it were too late to change your mind but knew you’d regret backing out.

"Come in,” you said as you opened the door.

Thor strode in, Loki in handcuffs behind him. You led them to the living room where you awkwardly sat on the sofas trying to decide how best to proceed. Thor broke the silence first. “You may deal with Loki as you see fit but he is not to leave without the knowledge of the others.”

You nodded, hardly taking in his words. You were watching his brother too closely. He appeared remarkably casual but you knew he was paying close attention to the conversation between yourself and Thor. He was silently studying the room, trying to find anything to use to his advantage. When his gaze fell on you, you felts its intensity down to your very soul.

Watching Loki out of the corner of your eye, you pulled Thor aside and said, “I think I’ve got this. Go before your people realise you’re missing. And don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

"You show great courage, my lady. I’ll be back whenever I can get away. If you meet with any trouble, let the others know. And whatever you do, don’t trust a word my brother says.“

"Not a lady,” you mumbled as you shut the door behind him. Turning on your heels, you headed back to the living room to find Loki stretched out across the sofa. You rolled your eyes. “Make yourself at home then…”

The god didn’t respond, instead just continued watching you curiously. You took a seat on the sofa opposite and started reading the morning paper. The stories didn’t really sink in, though. You were far too distracted by the man staring at you. You couldn’t see him but you could still feel his gaze. Finally it became too much and you slammed the paper down beside you.

"Look. I don’t want any trouble but if you keep this up I’m just going to lock you in the safe room and be done with it. I don’t want to do that. I want to give you freedom and trust that you’ll be civil but, if it comes to it, I will treat you like the prisoner you are. Okay?“

"Whatever you say, my lady,” he said, imitating his brother.

Fuming, you picked up the paper and tried again to read the news. This was not going to be easy.


	2. Chapter 2

You’d guarded prisoners before. You’d even done stints like this where you were observing them 24 hours a day, but none of those experiences had prepared you for Loki. He spent all day, every day, in silence, just watching you from the comfort of your sofa as you went about your daily business. Unfortunately, you were in a rut with your work so had nowhere near as much to do as you’d have liked which meant busying yourself with pointless tasks that only seemed to amuse him more.

One the third day of him being in your home, as you served up lunch, Loki suddenly broke his silence and suggested, “If you’re as bored as me cooped up in here, why not go for a walk? You could clearly use it. You look awful.”

“Thanks for your concern,” you grumbled. You’d seen your reflection in the mirror after waking from your first hour’s sleep since he’d arrived and thought the same. There was only so long you could survive on coffee before you ended up shifting to stronger measures but you felt too uncomfortable with the god of mischief around to let your guard down and rest. “I’ll be fine.”

Stifling a yawn, you downed your third cup of coffee that hour and stood to get another when Loki said, “You’ve probably had enough of that stuff. Of course, if you want to overdose, please, be my guest. It will save me from having to deal with you when I leave.”

“You’re not leaving,” you said slowly, putting the empty cup back down on the table and sitting down.

“Believe that if you want.”

You couldn’t help yourself; you threw your plate at him. You knew it was an overreaction, and a pretty irrational way to deal with a god, but your self control had faded somewhere between 6 and 8 hours ago. He’d sat there looking so smug that, in your sleep deprived state, shaking from the caffeine, it had seemed the best way to silence him.

It worked too, actually. Whatever he’d been expecting from you, a plate was not it. Even in your current state your aim was true and it had hit him squarely in the jaw before shattering into a few large fragments.

His green eyes darkened and any grogginess in your mind quickly dissipated under that glare. Before you could react, he threw the sharp fragments back your way. Each hit a different mark on your arm, breaking the skin. You were surprised – not by the fact he’d retaliated, though. You’d expected that. You were shocked that his aim had been so good with his wrists still in chains.

With all the dignity and strength you could muster, you headed to the bathroom to wrap up your arm before the cuts got infected or you bled to death. Neither seemed a highly likely option but it never hurt to be safe. You winced as you cleaned them but you’d been through worse. You certainly had the scars to prove so.

Satisfied with your bandaging, you returned to the living room and stood by Loki with your arms folded. “Get up,” you ordered. “I’m sick of this.”

“Giving up already? Shame on you,” he taunted. His eyes briefly lingered on the bandage around your arm before returning to the spot on the ceiling that you’d noticed he seemed to favour whenever he got bored of watching you.

You grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet, dragging him behind you. You almost whacked the smile off his face when you entered the bedroom but decided it wasn’t worth it. Leaving him standing in the entrance, you opened the hidden door in the wall before shoving him through the opening into your safe room.

“Enjoy your stay here,” you huffed as you tapped away at the small touch screen on your side of the door. With everything locked to only your biometric readings, you slammed it shut. Shouting so he’d hear you, you said, “If you’re lucky, I’ll let you out in a week or so. Maybe you’ll be nicer when you’ve had nothing to eat or drink for a few days.”

The only response you received was a muffled grunt.

Convinced that you were free of him, at least for a few hours until you came to your senses and let him out again, you slumped onto the bed and fell asleep within minutes. When you woke, it was past midnight. You felt much better for the rest and, with your mind clearing, you began to wonder if locking up a god, especially one known to be vengeful, was a smart idea. You shrugged to yourself, vowing to deal with the consequences later.

Back in your living room, you sat down at the table and began drawing. Moments of inspiration like this didn’t come often these days and you were hardly going to let the idea slip away. You worked tirelessly for what felt like minutes but in fact stretched to hours when you heard someone cough. You looked up and found yourself speechless at the sight before you.

“Don’t feel bad. Not many prisons can hold me.”

You let out a groan and waved your hand dismissively, turning your focus back to your schematics. If Loki was capable of breaking out of your safe room then there really wasn’t much else you could do to stop him. May as well finish your work, you figured. “Whatever. There’s leftover pizza in the fridge.”

“What do you expect me to do with that information?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“I expect you to heat it up in the microwave and share it with me. It’s a few days old but it should taste fine.” You didn’t pay attention to his response but suspected it wasn’t kind. Still, out of the corner of your eye, you saw him head to the kitchen anyway.

A few minutes later he returned with a plate of food and dumped it on the table. You glared at him and lifted it off your papers, shuffling your designs around to make room for the pizza. You worked as you ate until his staring broke your nerves. “What, Loki?”

“What is this?”

“Why do you care?” you asked, grabbing another slice of pizza. For its lack of nutritious benefits – and heat, in this case, since Loki seemed to have given up on making the microwave work and brought it to you cold – pizza certainly helped you to think better. You felt empowered by the knowledge that you’d get this prototype designed by sunrise, so long as you didn’t keep getting interrupted.

He picked the toppings off the piece of pizza in his hand and shrugged. “I don’t. I’m simply curious what could be so important that you’d risk letting me wander freely in your home.”

“I design engines. I’ve been working on this idea for months but couldn’t find a way to compensate for the… never mind. Anyway, I had a flash of inspiration this evening and couldn’t let it go to waste.” You picked up the peppers and mushrooms that he’d scraped off his pizza and added them to your own slice. “These are the best bits, you know. You’re missing out.”

“I find the texture offensive. If you’re just an engineer, how could you possibly have come into the company of the liars and killers of SHIELD?”

“I wasn’t always just an engineer,” you replied. You eyed the last piece of pizza and just as you reached out to take it Loki grabbed it from beneath your hand. You frowned at him, annoyed that you’d lost the rest of your meal. “That was my slice.”

“And now it’s mine,” Loki said matter-of-factly.

Not having the energy to argue, you gave in and let him have it. A few minutes later, you looked up at him from your sketches and asked, “How did you get out of the handcuffs?”

He didn’t answer, simply taking the plate back into the kitchen and returning moments later holding two cups of coffee. You studied him, wondering a) how he’d worked out how to use the coffee machine after struggling with the microwave and b) what he’d put in it. You’d heard that poison was one of the worst ways to die.

Understanding the reason for your reluctance, he took a sip from both cups and placed one down in the gap between your papers. “See; not poisoned. When I finally decide to kill you, it will be so much more personal.”

“Lucky me…” you said, taking a sip. Sugar but no milk. Just as you always had it. A little thrown by the fact he had your coffee order down, despite you never sharing it with him, you nodded in his direction. “Thanks. Now, if you’d mind, I really do want to finish this. I’m sure you’ll be more comfy on the sofa.”

“Comfortable is not the first word that comes to mind,” Loki pointed out. Still, he took his place on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. You couldn’t see with your back to him but he’d picked up a small statuette from the table and was tossing it in the air, catching it one handed. “I’m curious what you did for SHIELD.”

“Good for you,” you mumbled, half hoping that if you didn’t answer any questions he’d drop the subject.

You spun around and caught the solid statuette that had suddenly been thrown in your direction. No longer sleep deprived, and high on your engineering breakthrough, your senses were now hyper aware. You’d barely recognised the thought before your body had acted to protect itself from Loki’s attack and he seemed vaguely impressed.

You scowled at him, annoyed that he was still interrupting your work. “Entertain yourself some other way. I’m not playing this game with you.”

You soon realised that you shouldn’t have said anything as Loki continued to pester you until you reached your breaking point. His not-so-subtle digs at you and your life simply became too much. You threw the statuette back at him and watched triumphantly as it hit him in exactly the same spot that the plate had hit him earlier that day.

As calmly as you could manage, you put your pen down and turned so you were leant on the back over the chair. “If I answer your questions, will you stop talking?”

“What sort of agent were you?”

Ignoring the fact that he hadn’t actually agreed to your deal, you revealed, “Explosives and unusual weaponry. I deactivated them and then took them away to study. It’s how I know Tony Stark. I worked with him a lot in that area.”

“Did you ever design weaponry for SHIELD?”

“No,” you responded a little too aggressively. “My job was to stop people from being blown up or shot. I wasn’t going to use my talents to enable more to die that way. Human life may mean nothing to you but it to me it does matter.”

Loki rose to his feet and left the room without another word. You were too dumbstruck by the change in attitude to act, to start. When your senses returned, you jumped up and followed him. The moment you turned the corner to the kitchen you felt his hands grab you and shove your body against the wall.

You pushed back, breaking away from his grip. You scrambled around like that for a good minute before you actually managed to get a real hit on him. The god was easily the most skilled opponent you’d ever faced and you found yourself wishing you’d kept up with your training. You were getting tired and every punch seemed to hurt you more than him.

You dived across the kitchen counter towards the knives. You didn’t know what harm they could actually do against a god but if it did kill him you’d deal with the consequences later. You threw one straight at him, knowing it would hit your target. You were right. It hit the centre of his chest. Unfortunately, it went straight through and the perfect illusion dissipated, leaving you staring at an empty space.

“Let’s get something straight,” Loki said from behind you, a knife now at your throat. He spoke calmly but there was a harshness in his words that scared you more than the blade on your skin. “You don’t know anything about me so don’t pretend that you understand.”

You muttered something unintelligible in response and breathed deeply when he stepped away, taking the knife with him. Your heart was racing as memories long gone suddenly threatened to overtake you. Not caring what his reaction would be, you ran to your bedroom and slammed the door shut. Your legs collapsed beneath you and you sank to the floor, resting your back against the door. Your head between your knees, you slipped the bracelet from your wrist and held it tightly in your hands.

You weren’t entirely sure how it happened but you eventually ended up curled in a ball on your bed. It barely even registered when Loki let himself into the room; you were too busy staring into nothingness.

He sat on the end of your bed, looking everywhere but at you. “Why did you leave SHIELD?”

“Go to hell.”

“I may well already be there,” he said humourlessly. “Tell me, Y/N.”

The usual playful spark in his eyes had been replaced by a seriousness you’d not seen before. It was almost enough to persuade you to open up but you couldn’t shift the fear that Loki would somehow use the information against you.

“Just leave me alone,” you whispered, holding back all of your emotions. You were close to breaking and knew uttering a single word about the incident would push you over the edge. The last thing you wanted, or needed, was for the prisoner you were supposed to be guarding to see your weakness – but you suspected you were far beyond that point by now.

“It’s a charming bracelet,” he said, shifting to make himself more comfy. “Green suits you. Whose was it?”

“Loki…” you warned. “Go. Away.”

Ignoring your warning, the god continued. His gaze flickered to a photo on your dresser; you and Emily at a party together. It was one of only three photos of you, the secret nature of your work not really allowing for such things. It was dangerous to have proof of ties between agents. Even when you worked as a team you needed to remain separate. Attachment and friendship only ever led to loss.

“How did she die?”

“We were on a mission and she was caught out. He had a knife to her throat and told me if I didn’t leave the bomb that he’d kill her. I was ordered by my superiors to complete the job and told she’d be safe. They said backup was coming and then informed me that they’d dealt with the situation. I followed my orders, believing their word to be true, and consequently Emily didn’t return home.”

“You left SHIELD because of that?”

“They lied to me. If I hadn’t have followed orders, if I’d gone after them or stopped working on the bomb like he said… she’d still be alive.”

“She might not be,” he pointed out. “He might have killed her anyway. She might have died on a different mission. Or been hit by a car as she crossed the road. Life is a dangerous business.”

Not feeling any better at his words, you rolled over so my back was to him. Loki didn’t say anything but leant backwards so he was staring at the ceiling. You lay there in silence until you finally drifted off into a restless sleep.

When you woke, Loki was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Still in yesterday’s dirty clothes, you grabbed your coat and headed outside. It was absolutely freezing but you hardly noticed; all you could think about was how much shit you were going to get for letting a war criminal escape. How had this happened? You’d let your guard down. In a moment of weakness, you’d tried to see the god as something more than a prisoner and the small freedom you’d given him had backfired.

“Loki, god damn you,” you shouted out as you sprinted across the fields around your home. The only saving grace was that you lived in the middle of nowhere so the chances of an innocent civilian crossing paths with the scheming god seemed low.

Atop of the biggest hill in the area, you looked around for any sign of him to no avail. You let out a scream of frustration and stormed back down to the house. The entire journey back was spent in a mix of panic and dread over what would happen next. Your record was perfect. You’d never failed a mission of any kind, even if it had cost you dearly. The thought of failing scared you almost as much as Loki of the loose or the wrath of those that had trusted you with him.

Your house back in view, you had to double check what you saw in front of you. Sat on your doorstep was Loki, looking completely unfazed by the cold in only a shirt and trousers. He stood when he saw you but before he could speak you slapped him. Hard.

The god looked down at you with an amused expression which only made you want to hit him again. “What was that for?” he asked, all too innocently. Loki’s lips were turned up in the corner, suppressing a grin. It changed his face somehow, made him softer, more attractive. You caught that thought before it went any further, reminding yourself how pissed off you were with him.

“Where did you go?”

“Just for a stroll.”

“Cut the crap, Loki. I’m not in the mood for your games right now.”

He didn’t answer right away. Eventually he said, “If you’re that concerned, come with me and I’ll show you.”

It seemed like such a bad idea and you knew that was because it had to be. Allowing a prisoner, especially one known to have violent tendencies, to take you for a walk through a secluded area was just stupid. And yet there was something so tempting about the offer. One look at that hidden grin and, against your better judgement, you agreed.

You headed off across the fields, Loki permanently a few steps in front. Slowly you veered off the main track and it didn’t take long for you to realise where your final destination would be. About ten minutes later, your theory was proven correct when you stopped at the edge of a small stream.

“I’ve not been for years,” you murmured. You slipped your shoes off and let the freezing water run over your toes. It quickly became painful but you didn’t pull away. As fast as the tingling had set in it had vanished and you found a remarkable peace.

Loki had, at some point, sat down beside you, his back towards the river so his entire attention was on you. It was a little unnerving, to say the least, being under scrutiny from such an intense glare. “Why not?”

“I don’t know, really.” You leant backwards onto the grass. It was damp but your coat protected you from the worst of it. Looking up at the cloudy sky, you held a breath and just took in the moment. The sound of the water as it rushed over your now numb feet. The birdsong blowing in on a distance breeze.

“If you like it here so much, there must be a reason why you don’t come often,” he pointed out astutely. Loki leant forward expectantly but must have realised he wouldn’t get an answer. It seemed to frustrate him a little. “Maybe if you came here more, you’d be less tense.”

“I’m not tense.” Even to you the hard tension in your voice was clear. You sighed. You weren’t normally this snappy with people. Something about Loki just made you this way. You sat up, your moment of peace over. “Next time you want to go for a wander, let me know first.”

You stood up, not realising just how numb your feet had gone in the freezing stream. Your legs collapsed beneath you and you ended up in a heap on top of Loki. “Sorry,” you huffed, trying to pull yourself up.

However, Loki just wrapped his arms around you and threw you over his shoulder. Your protests were completely ignored and in the end you just accepted your fate and let him carry you back to the house. “Key?” he asked as you reached the door.

“Above the frame,” you said, your teeth now chattering. The cold had worked its way through your body and you were really starting to feel the pain now.

Even though you couldn’t see his face, you knew Loki had to be despairing at the lame hiding place of your key. You shrugged, “I know but no-one else lives within a mile of this place.”

As soon as you stepped through the door, he dropped your boots on the ground and then dumped you onto your sofa. You rolled over into the cushions and curled your legs up into your chest to try and warm yourself up. It didn’t work and your shivering worsened.

“Sit up,” Loki ordered, helping you up. He pulled your coat off – against your feeble attempts to fight him off – and threw it aside. You caught sight of it and realised it was dripping wet. No wonder it hadn’t really helped; the freezing chill had seeped right through it.

Wrapping a blanket around you, Loki then offered a fat pair of woolly socks and came back a minute later with another blanket. You tried to protest but he shushed you and disappeared again. When he returned he had a huge mug of coffee in one hand and a packet of biscuits in the other.

He sat beside you and handed you the hot drink. It quickly became clear that your hands were shaking too much to hold the mug steady so he set it aside on the table and took your hands in his, clasping them tightly to try and warm them up. Had he done that at any other time you would have blushed awfully but your body was just too cold and your cheeks already too flushed for any reaction to show.

“How can I have gotten so cold?” you asked, trying to resist the urge to close the gap between you and rest your head on the god’s shoulder. “We were barely there for five minutes.”

Loki looked at you in confusion, pausing the gentle way he was rubbing your hands. “You lay staring at the sky for at least fifteen minutes.”

“What?” You couldn’t believe how quickly time had passed. You must have been more out of it than you realised. “Why didn’t you tell me to move my feet from the stream? Did the potential for hypothermia not cross your mind?”

“You looked peaceful. I didn’t want to interrupt that.”

You pulled your hands free and reached for the coffee, not quite sure how to response to his comment. You took a long sip of the boiling drink and whispered, “Thanks.”

He nodded and rose from the sofa. It suddenly felt weird not having him beside you and you realised you must have been sat closer together than you’d thought. “Do you want another blanket?”

“I’m fine,” you said.

“You say that a lot. Are you ever anything other than fine?”

You looked up from the coffee at the god, who was now leant casually against the kitchen door frame. No-one had ever asked that before; no-one ever listened closely enough to notice how carefully you chose your words. Eventually you shrugged, even though you knew the answer.

He raised an eyebrow but dropped the subject anyway. He disappeared into the kitchen for a while and in the meantime you fell asleep. You were woken by Loki gently shaking your shoulders. “Try and stay awake, Y/N,” he said. You could swear there was a note of concern in his voice. He handed you a bowl of soup and added almost apologetically, “It’s from a can. I can’t cook.”

You tried to protest that you weren’t hungry but Loki sat back down beside you and refused to move until you’d eaten at least half. Under duress you finished the whole bowl and actually felt much better for it – although you didn’t tell him that.

“I need a shower,” you told him as you stood up. Your legs still felt a little shaky and Loki didn’t seem convinced about you being left alone in your current state. In the end, after much debate, it was decided that he would sit outside the bathroom in case you collapsed.

“What made you interested in engineering?” he asked from his seat outside the bathroom.

You grabbed the shampoo from the side and called back, “My aunt was a pilot. She took me flying as a kid and I was obsessed with how the plane worked. That then extended to me wanting to know how everything worked.”

“Any your interest in, what did you call it, unusual weaponry? How did you get into that?”

“I like watching things explode. My aunt introduced me to people in the forces that were more than willing to teach me and before I knew it I had been trained in that field. Eventually I was approached for a job with SHIELD because I’d made a name for myself when it came to taking apart IEDs and weapons that weren’t all they seemed.”

“Most people that say they enjoy watching things explode get taken away for testing,” he pointed out.

Washing the conditioner from your hair, you said, “I was tested by SHIELD. Certified sane enough to work.”

You stepped out of the shower and wrapped your towel around you just as Loki poked his head round the door to say, “Sane enough? Hardly a convincing diagnosis. You look better.”

You wiped the condensation off of the mirror and studied your reflection. “I look awful,” you groaned. There were dark bags under your eyes and you looked pretty much like death itself. Your skin was deadly pale and if you didn’t know better you’d have said you’d not slept for weeks.

“You looked worse earlier,” he said, managing to dodge the shampoo bottle you threw in response. He chucked the bottle back at you and you shoved it on the shelf where it belonged.

You shuffled past him in the hallway and headed towards your room. You turned and ended up bumping into his chest. Holding a hand out between you, you said, “I think I can manage getting dressed without supervision.”

Loki didn’t seem to care, though, as he followed you into your bedroom anyway and sat on the edge of the bed as you searched through your wardrobe for something warm to wear. You settled on a short, knitted dress and leggings. It was awkward getting changed in the small space behind the wardrobe door but knowing Loki was in the room made you uncomfortable getting dressed in the open.

He studied you outfit, his eyes lingering in certain places for a fraction of a second longer than appropriate before nodding. “Green suits you.”

“You said that before,” you mumbled as you searched for a hairbrush in the mess that covered your dresser table. You could feel him watching you and, whereas before his gaze had made you angry, it now just made you feel uncomfortably self conscious. You looked over your shoulder and asked, “Do you mind?”

“Not at all. Your hairbrush is in the laundry basket,” he added. Much to your annoyance, he was right. You wandered over to the mirror and started brushing your messy hair when he said, “You can’t blame me for staring. Any man would.”

You spun on your heels and said, “If this is another game or some sort of scheme to annoy me after the others have failed, just drop it. I’m not in the mood for your tricks after the morning I’ve had.”

“There I was thinking we’d made progress. I guess I should have known better,” Loki said, getting to his feet. Surprisingly coldly considering how kind he’d been to you before, he stopped at the door and murmured, “I’ll be in the living room if you start to wonder where I’ve gone.”

A few minutes later, when you’d gathered all the courage you could muster, you went and sat on the arm of the sofa by Loki’s feet. You couldn’t keep eye contact, not when he looked at you the way he did, so you kept your gaze on your nails as you spoke. “I’m sorry. Not just for what I said back then but for yesterday too. You’re right that I don’t understand you. It infuriates me that there is no information on you. Normally, I can read up on someone’s file before take custody of them. I get to know them beforehand and know exactly what I’m in for. Not with you, though.”

You didn’t receive a response so continued, “My job here isn’t to judge you for what you’ve done – especially when there is so little information available on why. I also have to take into account how grateful I am for you looking after me this morning, even if it is your fault I almost got hypothermia. Anyway, what I am trying to say is that we could both have a quiet, peaceful few weeks here if you give me your word that you’ll follow my rules. I said before that I don’t want to treat you like a prisoner and we both know that I can’t enforce it since you can break out of my safe room…”

Somewhere in your mumbling, you’d lost your point so just sat there waiting for a reply. A few long moments later, he finally said, “It’s my fault you got hypothermia? You were the one that put their feet into a freezing river.”

“That you took me to,” you argued. In a moment of weakness, or possibly strength, you weren’t sure, you looked over to Loki. He wore that half smile you’d seen earlier; a good sign, you thought. “Does this mean we are on the same page?”

“That depends on whether I agree with your rules or not.”

“Okay. One: If you want to go for a stroll or get out of here, tell me. We go together or not at all. Two: I get the last slice of pizza. Three: Don’t try to annoy me for your own entertainment because it puts me in a bad mood and then I just want to stab you, which really isn’t in either of our interests.” You counted the rules off on your fingers as you said them. “If I think of any others, I’ll let you know.”

Loki sat up and seemed to think about it for a minute. He held up three fingers in the air and counted down his own rules. “One: I want to see you wear something green every day and Emily’s bracelet doesn’t count. Two: we train in combat at least twice a week. Three: No more rich tea biscuits. They are horrible and I don’t want to see another for as long as I live.”

You stared blankly at him, not quite sure what to make of his requests. You heard a cough behind you so turned to see another version of Loki. “Well?” he asked, expectantly. “I’ll agree to yours if you agree to mine.”

“Four: no magic in the house,” you added before nodding. You extended your hand towards the Loki that sat on the sofa, fairly certain that he was the original. “I accept your rules. Please follow mine.”

He reached out and took your hand. As you shook, he added another rule of his own: “Four: Try to trust that my compliments are sincere.”

You slid off the arm of the sofa onto the main seat and stretched your legs out into Loki’s lap. “What are we going to when one of the rules gets broken?”

“That should depend on which is broken,” the god said thoughtfully. “I suggest we come up with the punishments as necessary.”

“That’s hardly a deterrent.”

“Are you concerned about me breaking your rules or are you worried that you might break one of mine?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “You said when not if. Which do you plan on ignoring?”

“I’m planning nothing of the kind,” you argued, although you had already started thinking of ways around his rules. And if you were already seeking ways around the ground rules, you were fairly certain that Loki was too. “A lady doesn’t break her word.”

“You’re no lady,” he pointed out sarcastically.


	4. Chapter 4

Both you and Loki followed the rules the other hand set down surprisingly well. You had been shopping to buy more green clothes and thrown out the rich tea biscuits - you’d never really liked them that much anyway so had no idea why you’d kept them for so long. You’d been practising combat skills practically every day and when you’d had pizza to celebrate a hard day’s work you’d always gotten the last slice as per the agreement. You and Loki went for a walk around the fields most days and had visited the stream too, although you didn’t put your feet in anymore.

About three weeks after you’d initially set out your terms, you woke up one morning in a strange mood. Loki was still asleep on the camper bed beside yours - you’d shuffled around the furniture so he could move off of the sofa after his good behaviour - and as you looked at his sleeping form you made a decision you were sure you’d regret. Still, you were deadly curious about how this would play out and curiosity had always been a weakness of yours.

You put on a knee length black and white dress and headed to the kitchen to start on breakfast. It felt like a waffle kind of day so you set about making the batter and ended up cooking enough waffles to feed a small army. Thankfully, it had turned out that Loki had a huge appetite when it came to sweet foods. Putting a pile on a plate, you returned to your room to find him awake and dressed.

"Breakfast in bed. I feel honoured,“ he said, practically snatching the plate from your hands. By the time you came back with your own portion, he’d already finished his. Loki’s mischievous gaze flickered between you and your breakfast, questioning whether you were going to share any of your food with him. "How did you know I wanted more?” he asked.

"There’s more in the kitchen,“ you yawned. You sat cross legged on your bed and couldn’t help but laugh at the pile of waffles that Loki had on his return. "There is no way that you will finish all of those.”

"Challenge accepted.“

It turned out you were right, but only just. He tried hard to force the last waffle down but Loki just couldn’t quite manage it. He shoved the plate towards you and groaned, "Why would you make so many, anyway? You barely eat anything.”

"I had three,“ you pointed out. Admittedly it was nothing on the ten and a half that Loki had managed to put away but you felt three was still a decent number. "I knew you’d be hungry.”

"How?“

"You’re always hungry.”

After such a large breakfast, you decided to put your training on hold and just sat out on your porch for a while. The sun rose late this far into the year and you managed to catch it just as it cleared the distant trees that marked the edge of your land.

Breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between you, Loki said, “You’re not wearing green today.”

"I am,“ you replied, keeping your gaze towards the rising sun.

"I told you that Emily’s bracelet doesn’t count,” Loki countered. His confusion was almost palpable. He couldn’t seem to work out why, after three weeks of following the rules, you’d suddenly break one. It actually seemed to make him nervous.

"That isn’t what I meant,“ you said. "Your rule was to wear something green every day. It didn’t say what it had to be.”

Suddenly understanding, Loki’s entire posture changed. You hadn’t realised how tense he’d been now that he was relaxed again. In fact, he seemed far too relaxed. That mischievous glint you’d seen earlier had returned with full force. He leant across the small table between you and, his face barely centimetres from yours, he muttered, “You’ll have to show me, you know.”

"I don’t think so.“

"If you don’t then you’ll have broken the rules.”

"How so?“

The grin that he’d been suppressing lit up his face as he recalled his exact wording. "I’m sure I said, ‘I want to see you wear something green.’ So, if I don’t see by this evening then you’ll have to face the punishment.”

Your thoughts must have shown on your face because Loki chuckled before heading inside. He squeezed your shoulder as he passed by and you wondered what you’d done. There you were thinking you’d been clever in bypassing the terms of your deal when, actually, all you’d done was put yourself into a weirder situation. Show Loki your underwear or face a forfeit as yet unknown.

As you’d expected, Loki spent the entire day by your side teasing you - and since he never left your side, you couldn’t go and change your clothes without flashing him anyway. Evening finally came around and you were in the kitchen, preparing dinner, when the god wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his chin on your shoulder. To start, you ignore him and focused your attention on chopping the veg but that became much harder when he started lifting up your shirt.

You spun awkwardly in his arms and, holding the sharp knife between you, said, “Steady on, Loki. I’ve still got a few hours to work this out.”

"I know. I just wanted to see what you’d do. Pulling a knife on me was pretty high on the list of possible outcomes, actually.“

"Perhaps next time you could wait until I’m not holding a sharp object?”

"That’s half the fun,“ he said, loosening his grip around your waist. You waited for him to move but he refused to go anywhere so you turned around and carried on preparing dinner. Unfortunately, it turned out that having Loki so close messed with your concentration a little more than you’d been expecting and the resulting meal ended up near inedible.

You grimaced as you tasted the stew and leant back against the god with a sigh. Being in his arms was so comforting, you wondered why you hadn’t let him do this before. You certainly would again, but next time it would be when you didn’t have to divide your focus. "I think it’s beans on toast for tea, I’m afraid.”

"I don’t mind,“ Loki murmured in your ear. "I’ll leave you to it so you don’t get distracted and burn the bread…”

He ducked out of the room before you had the chance to throw something at him. Ten minutes later, you were sat on the sofa eating value baked beans on cheap, processed white bread, wishing your cupboards weren’t as empty as they’d been.

"What did you decide to do?“ Loki asked as he finished your leftovers. Noting your silence, he tapped your leg with his foot. "Y/N?”

You’d been away with your thoughts and had to ask him to repeat the question. When he did, you answered, “I think I deserve to know the punishment before I choose.”

"That’s no fun.“ He put the dirty plates on the floor and pulled you by your legs towards him. Wrapping his hands around yours, stroking them with his thumbs, he dared you, "Just pick one. It’s hardly the end of the world, either way.”

Your amusement had faded and your words came out far harsher than you’d meant but the joke had, in your opinion, gone too far for you. “Enough. I don’t want to choose. Game’s over.”

"You’d face a punishment you didn’t know the details of?“

"Damn it, yes, Loki. I would. Now stop messing and just tell me what I have to do.”

He studied you intently and your angry resolve weakened slightly. He was trying to work out exactly what you were thinking, you realised. Good luck to him, you thought. You barely knew where your thoughts were anymore. Part of you wanted to slap the god for putting you through this madness all day. A bigger part, though, just wanted to forget this silly game and be held by him again.

Loki seemed to reach a conclusion of some kind - whatever it was was beyond you - and he suddenly leant forward and kissed you. You responded immediately, kissing him back without hesitation. He laced one hand into your hair and used the other to pull you closer so you were basically in his lap.

He pulled away first but kept his hands on the small of your back so you wouldn’t move away, not that you planned to. For once, he seemed a little lost for words so you brushed his lips with another kiss and whispered, “I might have broken sooner if I knew that was the forfeit.”

"That wasn’t a punishment. I just wanted to kiss you.“

Before you could respond, your mobile started to ring from somewhere across the room. Loki looked at you in confusion as you tensed up. "It’s only a phone call, Y/N.”

"From them, it’s never just a call.“ Grudgingly climbing off of Loki, you crossed the room and pulled your work phone from the top desk drawer. You checked the caller ID, despite recognising the ringtone, and sighed. Sliding the screen up, you answered, "What do you want?”

"Get to the point, Sikes,“ you hissed in response to your former boss’s opening spiel. You listened intently to his message and barely managed to say, "That isn’t necessary…”

Your argument was cut short and he disconnected before you could say anything else. You felt Loki behind you, pulling you into an embrace. “I suspect that wasn’t news you’d hoped to hear?”

"They know you’re here. Apparently, even though I am no longer in their employment, SHIELD is concerned that I’ve been alone with you for almost a month. They believe I am incapable of properly managing such a “sensitive” situation. They’re sending a hoard of agents out tonight.“

You began dialling another number and pulled away from Loki with a sad smile. You didn’t want to leave his embrace but needed to think clearly to try and stop this. You slipped away into your bedroom and waited anxiously for an answer. You were surprised when your call was answered on the first beep. "Tony?”

"I thought this number was out of use,“ he said slowly. "I was pretty sure you’d destroyed this phone when you left.”

"Sikes just called.“ His lack of response told you that he too recognised how terrible a turn this was. "I can’t let them back in, Tony. Things were going just fine here.”

"He’s not being difficult?“

You let out a weak laugh as you sat down on the edge of your bed. "Debateable. The first few days were difficult but since we set down ground rules things have been much better. No escape attempts. No tricks.”

Somehow picking up on the affection in your voice, he groaned, “You weren’t supposed to get to like him, Y/N. Becoming his friend wasn’t part of the job description.”

"It’s more complicated than that. Detachment is far easier when someone is locked in a cell but when they are free to move around it’s much harder to stay objective.“

"He’s not in the safe room either?” You could just imagine Tony’s face right now. If you’d been in the same room, he would have tried to shake sense into you before realising that he shouldn’t have expected anything less from you. He’d always said you had too big a heart for your line of work. “Y/N, we built that room for a reason. Please tell me you at least keep him handcuffed?”

"No point. He broke out of the ones Thor brought him in. I’ve got nothing that advanced.“ Breaking Tony’s despairing silence, you told him, "Loki really is behaving, though. I think the freedom does him good. The second that SHIELD get here, that’s all going to change though.”

"I don’t know what you want me to do, Y/N. I can’t help here.“

You flopped backwards on your mattress and stared at the ceiling, willing some solution to present itself. Out of nowhere, it came to you. A sure fire way to make him help you. "I’m trading in my coin.”

"No.“

"Tony, please!”

"I’ll call you back, Y/N.“ With that, he hung up on you and you had to resist the urge to throw your phone across the room. You had been sure he’d bite for the coin, especially since all he really needed to do in return was make a few phone calls. The coin was worth far more than that.

"May I come in?” Loki asked from the doorway, sometime after. You groaned in response and moments later you felt the mattress dip under hi weight. He stroked your hair gently for a while before lying down beside you. “I’ll be on best behaviour whatever happens, Y/N. Don’t worry about me.”

"I’m not worried about you,“ you said, rolling onto your side. "I’m worried about what I’ll do if I see them again. I’m annoyed that they have come to ruin my life now that I’ve finally found a little peace in this world.”

"Now things are going just fine?“ he asked, imitating your words to Tony.

You rested your hand on his chest and gave him a small smile. "Maybe, in this case, I might say more than fine. Possibly even stretching into good. But Tony would have been suspicious if I’d said that.”

"If others do turn up, I suppose I won’t be allowed to do this?“ he asked, wrapping his arms around you. You shook your head. "What about this?” He slid a hand under the edge of your dress and pushed it up to your waist so he could see your underwear - green, as promised. You shook your head again. He let his fingers tug on the waist band before just resting his hand on the top of your thigh.

Your heart rate had gone through the roof at his almost nonexistent touches on your skin. Barely managing to steady your breathing enough to reply, you said, “I suspect it would be frowned upon.”

Somehow, Loki ended up on top of you, pinning your arms above your head. He leant down and kissed you hungrily. Your body immediately responded but his strong grip held you in place and left you at his mercy. He trailed kisses along your neck, savouring each gasp that escaped your lips.

"Loki…“ you whispered.

"Ignore it,” he ordered, shoving the buzzing phone off the bed with his foot. The moment that ringing stopped, your second phone began to buzz and, groaning in despair, Loki rolled off of you and said, “Answer the damn thing before he comes out to find you in person.”

"This had better be good,“ you hissed down the phone.

"I won’t help you next time, if that’s the thanks I get.” You apologised quietly and he continued, “I have a new option for you. It’s not great but it’s the only way you’re getting out of being swarmed by agents.”

"Go on,“ you encouraged him. Loki sat behind you, wrapping himself around you, gently stroking your arm.

"Come back here. They’re willing to withdraw agent support if you and Loki stay at the Tower with all of us. Apparently, they have more faith in the Avengers than I realised. They trust us to look after him.”

"I hate the city…“ you sighed. Still, if it meant you’d get to spend time alone with Loki, without agents looking over your shoulder at every moment, you knew there was no other choice.

"My jet left ten minutes ago and it’ll be with you in about an hour,” Tony informed you, knowing that I’d decided to take up his offer as the lesser of two evils. “There’s only one accommodation wing free at the moment. I’d ask if that was alright but, seeing as you’re now best friends with our prisoner, I suspect you won’t mind sharing as much as the others would.”

"Shut up, Tony.“ A few seconds later, you added sincerely, "Thank you for sorting this out.”

He didn’t bother responding and simply hung up on you.

You leant back against Loki and sighed, knowing he’d heard most of the conversation. You turned around and lifted your head up to kiss him, a gesture he returned before pulling away to say, “We best get packing.”

"Couldn’t we just… you know?“

His lips turned up in a grin. "What I have planned for you would take far too long.”

"Can’t I have a preview?“

He pushed you away and teased, "Patience, love. You’ll see soon enough.”

An hour later, you were on a small, prototype plane of Tony’s, heading back to New York. You spent the entire trip in silence wanting nothing more than to touch each other but knowing you couldn’t. When you finally arrived, you landed straight on the roof of the Tower and were met by the entirety of the Avengers - even Thor.

They greeted you enthusiastically but kept a cool distance from Loki. It reminded you just how far you’d come in the past few weeks; you’d been able to see past what he’d done and see the person below where most people still saw a war criminal.

As you entered the building, you looked over your shoulder and gave Loki a small smile to let him know nothing had changed between you. It made him visibly calmer and you wondered if anyone else had seen. You’d have to be so careful not to get caught. You feared the repercussions would not be light.

You were shown your living space and it was bigger than your entire house. There was a huge living area packed with all manner of luxuries; a stunning bathroom which practically doubled as a spa and a bedroom with a king sized bed. A spare mattress had been rested against the wall, presumably for Loki to sleep on the floor on, but you both secretly knew that it wouldn’t get used.

The others left you to get settled but not before Bruce pulled you aside in a corner. “Stark’s worried you’ve blurred the lines. Have you?” He took your silence as an admission. “Be careful, Y/N.”

"He’s not as dangerous as everyone seems to think. At least not to me,“ you insisted.

"That’s not what I meant. If it makes you happy then you have my full support but you need to be discrete. The others might not be so… understanding. And the moment SHIELD finds out, you’ll get taken away for evaluation and never see him - or us - again.”

You felt your expression soften. Ever since you’d known him, Bruce had kept an eye out for you and it filled your heart to see that he still cared after so long apart. You pulled him into a hug which he gingerly accepted. “That’s the last thing I want. I’ll be careful.”

"You’d best be. I don’t want to be left alone with these children again.“

"They can’t be that bad…” you said. “Working with Tony in the labs must be fun?”

"Last week, he was working on a drone that was supposed to carry things between the floors. It ended up being able to shoot lasers and almost chopped my head off.“ He gave you a glare as he walked away that told you exactly what he thought about that. It’d had been one of the reasons you’d always gotten on so well; you were the grownups in a world of boys (and girls) and their big, expensive - often dangerous - toys.

You went back to the living room to find Thor and Loki deep in discussion. You decided to leave the brothers to it, not wanting to get involved, and slipped back out. You walked quickly to the lift and headed for the roof to get some breathing space. You were half tempted to just jump back onto the plane and go home but couldn’t leave Loki here alone. You’d accepted the assignment - although it was far more than that now - and you would see it through to the end. As for what sort of end it would be, you couldn’t say.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter of smut! It's nothing too bad, i don't think (except maybe the writing). Handcuffs, unprotected (wrap it up guys). If you think this will make you uncomfortable, don't read it!

“Everyone’s out on Friday,” Tony said across the table, his focus mainly on the computer screens in front of him. He briefly looked up at you and shook his head. “I don’t know what to say, Y/N. I’m sorry but you’ll just have to miss it.”

"But she’s only here for one night and then she’s flying out to Australia. This is the first time I’ve been even close to seeing her. Surely Loki can be left alone for one evening?“ You stopped pacing and leant on the back of the chair opposite him. "Please?”

He took a sip of his coffee and groaned. “He can’t be left alone unsupervised, Y/N. As difficult as it may be for you to remember, he is supposed to be a prisoner here. Any other day we’d help you but as I’ve already told you everyone is out on missions that night.”

"I’ve not left the Tower in over a week, Tony. It’s been months since I had anything close to my own life,“ you groaned. Whilst spending your time with Loki was no longer a hardship for you, you really were starting to go mad being cooped up here. "I need to get out before I start making my own entertainment and messing with all your systems.”

"My systems are untouchable.“

"We’ll just have to see, won’t we?” you threatened, knowing that even if you couldn’t hack in to his computer systems that some of your friends in the building easily could - and often did so for fun on their breaks. “Do I have to trade my coin in for this?”

He looked at you like you were crazy. When you’d finally gotten to see him after arriving at the Tower last week, to thank him for keeping SHIELD off your back, you’d offered the coin to him as payment. He’d told you to keep the “damned thing” and that he’d helped you out because it was his good deed for the year. A night out was considerably less to ask of him for the payment of the coin and it seemed to convince him just how desperate you were.

"Go,“ he finally said, dropping his gaze back to his computer screens. "You’ll have to take him with you, though.”

"What? No! I’m not taking Loki to a book signing.“

"If you want to go, that’s the price.”

A few moments later, you nodded. “Fine. I’ll just leave him outside when I meet her.”

"No way. If he leaves the Tower he stays handcuffed to your side for the whole time.“

You studied him, trying to decide if this was a joke or not. Something told you that it really wasn’t and he truly did expect you to stay attached to Loki for the entire evening but then that would surely draw attention… You decided he must be joking and grumbled a reply before leaving him to his work, heading back down to your room.

A pair of hands pulled you into the room from the corridor and wrapped themselves around you. A silky voice muttered in your ear, "I take it, from your grin, that we have permission to leave on Friday?”

You threw your arms around Loki’s neck and started to sway to the music playing in your mind. You let yourself enjoy the moment before pulling away. You wanted nothing more than to spend the day in his embrace but you had to be careful. If anyone with links to SHEILD realised how close you really were to their “prisoner” the consequences would be terrible.

Most of the time you had to survive on casual brushes to get your fix of him. As difficult as it was, you and Loki were even sleeping on the separate mattresses just in case you were being monitored - also, if you did share a bed you knew where it would lead and keeping away from each other after that would be impossible. This embrace was the closest you’d actually been since arriving at the Tower.

You stretched out on the sofa and lifted your legs up so Loki could sit. This, your feet in his lap, was the most common form of contact between you now. It was easy to maintain the idea that you were just friends in this position, even if it wasn’t true.

"I did speak to Tony, yes. I have been okayed to go to a book signing downtown so long as I drag you out with me.“ You studied his face and asked, "What? You had no ideas and I’ve always wanted to meet her. She’s a great author. And Tony knew you’d hate it; I think that’s why he agreed to let me bring you along.”

"Is this my punishment for not letting you have the last slice of pizza yesterday?“ he asked, referring to the rules you’d set out back at your home. "You were the one that suggested we put them on hold while being here.”

"Wait until you hear the rest,“ you said, ignoring his comment. "You and I have to be handcuffed together all evening so you don’t try and escape. I’m pretty sure he was kidding, though. What? Why are you grinning like that?”

He lowered his voice and you had to lean forward towards the middle of the sofa to hear him say, “The idea of putting you in handcuffs is something that has crossed my mind a few times.”

You whacked his arm in exasperation. “Stop it. I’ll need to finalise the plans with him later so if you have anything else you want to add…?”

"Just let Stark know that we’ll need strong handcuffs.“

The following few days went by at a snail’s pace as you waited in anticipation for Friday to come around. You’d ended up helping Bruce research and test a machine they’d picked up on a mission and that took up practically all of your time. It was good in a way; the more you focused on that, and the less you thought about your night of freedom with Loki, the quicker the week seemed to go.

Your work with Bruce also meant that you barely saw Loki at all and by the time you were alone with the god you were so tired that you fell asleep within minutes. As the days passed, you noticed yourself becoming more desperate for his touch and, not getting it, you’d become very cranky.

"I don’t need your help today,” Bruce said after one look at you on Friday morning.

"I’m fine,“ you groaned.

Bruce raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "One day, you’ll actually answer a question instead of brushing it away by just saying fine.”

Running a hand through your hair, you sighed. “Today is not that day.”

You grabbed a stool and sat next to where Bruce was working. He put down the piece of metal he was studying and said, “It’s only been a few days, Y/N. Surely you can manage not holding him for such a short amount of time?”

"Clearly not.“ You leant your elbows on the worktop and buried your head in yours hands. "He knows it, too. Last night when I got back he spent the whole evening finding excuses to brush by me without actually touching me. I was ready to kill him.”

"Natasha has a sweepstake going to guess when you’re going to break.“

"What? Who else knows?” you hissed. Your relationship with Loki was supposed to be a very heavily guarded secret and Bruce was the only person you’d told. It made you angry, and anxious, to hear that others knew about it.

Bruce held his hands in the air, claiming innocence. “I didn’t tell anyone! They noticed for themselves. It’s only me, Nat, the Cap and Thor. No-one else knows but I’m beginning to think Stark suspects something.”

"Great. Who’s winning?“

"The Captain put bets on a day, so you’ve long passed that. Nat thought yesterday and Thor says this morning, so you’ve pretty much beaten them too.” You gave him an expectant look and he added, “I’m hoping that you’ll hold out until this evening so I’ll have the pleasure of winning.”

You gave him a wry glare. “Is that why we’ve been working such long days? To keep me away from temptation?”

"I couldn’t say.“

In a far lighter mood than when you turned up, you set to work with Bruce and before you knew it half the day was gone. He closed up operations early since he had to go prepare for his mission with the other Avengers and on his way out he squeezed your hand comfortingly. "Don’t have too much fun, Y/N.”

You grabbed your bag and practically ran back to your room. You had a speedy shower - half an hour may not seem fast, but it was for you - and then changed into jeans and a low cut, emerald tank top. While you let your hair dry, you painted your fingernails green to match your top.

"I was beginning to think that you’d disappeared on me,“ you said, catching Loki’s reflection in the mirror as you did your makeup. He looked amazing, not that he ever didn’t. Even in casual trousers and a t-shirt he’d have caught your attention in any crowded room.

"I have a gift for you,” he said, walking up behind you. He gently gathered your hair in his hands, allowing himself to indulge in running his fingers through it, before brushing it to the side. He leant down and produced a gorgeous silver necklace. He put it on you, his fingers purposefully catching your skin, and stood back to admire the view. “Beautiful.”

You ran your fingers over the necklace. It was a simple chain with a sort of Celtic knot, in the centre of which was a shining emerald. You twisted your head over your shoulder and thanked him. “It’s stunning, Loki.”

Whatever he had been about to say, Loki was cut off by a knock on the door. You jumped up and went to answer it, followed out of the room by the god who laid down on the sofa, already bored by the interruption.

"You look nice,“ Tony said, stepping into your room without waiting for an invitation. "I come bearing gifts. Donated by Thor himself.”

He held out a pair of handcuffs and had to suppress a laugh at your expression. You blinked a few times to check you weren’t hallucinating and then said, “I genuinely thought you were joking.”

By now, Loki had risen from the sofa and stood by your side. He seemed more amused than anything else and just held out a wrist, ready for Tony to handcuff him. Not waiting for the god to change his mind, Tony locked his side shut and waited for you to offer your own arm. A second later, you gave in and let him lock your side too.

"Can I have the key?“ you asked.

Tony shook his head, although his amusement level now almost matched Loki’s. "No key. Since I was the one that clicked them shut they will only open when I enter the release code. Don’t worry. If all goes to plan I’ll be back by midnight. Try not to kill each other in the meantime.”

"You said gifts plural,“ you pointed out through gritted teeth. You were trying desperately to ignore the way Loki was smirking beside you. "It had better be great.”

"Just as great as the first. I have to keep them pacified here, Y/N.“ He handed you each a small pill and told you to swallow. You’d seen these many times before, back when you’d been working in the field. They contained small trackers that monitored your exact positions. Reluctantly, you and Loki obliged although you knew you’d both considered faking it.

He left shortly after but not before warning Loki what the repercussions would be if he tried to escape. You knew the god wouldn’t try anything - at least not in the sense of fleeing - but it seemed to make Tony feel better to put it out there anyway.

When you were finally alone, you spoke before Loki even had the chance. "Don’t. Say. Anything. Grab a coat. We’re going.”

It was decided shortly after that Loki didn’t need a coat, mainly because there was no way to put one on. You managed to find a thick, knitted poncho for you to at least keep the worst of the cold away and Loki swore he’d be fine, saying if he did start to get cold then he could always cuddle you.

The evening itself was actually a lot better than you’d expected. You managed to have a surprisingly nice dinner in a back alley cafe and eating whilst handcuffed together was a lot easier than you’d anticipated. Especially when Loki decided to treat you like royalty and feed you everything himself.

At the signing, Loki manage to refrain from being rude to anyone, although there were plenty of people that probably deserved it, and he let you talk to your author in peace while she signed your - very beaten - copy of your favourite book. She gave you a curious look when she caught sight of the handcuffs beneath your poncho but you just smiled and waved it off.

You found her panel fascinating, although Loki got bored half way through so you snuck out a side door into an alleyway by the bookshop. Alone in the dark, confined space, he pushed you against the wall and kissed your deeply. “I’ve missed doing that,” he whispered against you lips. “Let’s go back to the Tower.”

"The panel doesn’t finish for another ten minutes,“ you pointed out, knowing that it was something SHIELD would cross check with your movements. The trackers could be annoyingly thorough when they wanted to be and you didn’t want to give them any cause to question you and Loki.

He brought his lips to yours for another hungry kiss as his free hand slid around your neck to pull you closer. You wrapped your legs around his waist as he pressed you harder against the bookshop’s wall. He placed a trail of kisses along your neck, so intense that you couldn’t help but moan. You knew you’d have bruises in the morning but didn’t care.

"Shh,” he mumbled, tugging on your bottom lip with his teeth. “We’re trying not to draw attention, remember?”

Before you knew it you were back at the Tower, casually trying to make your way back to your room. As soon as the door shut, Loki’s hands were all over you, pulling the poncho over your head and chucking it on the floor. He scooped you up and carried you to the bedroom, practically throwing you down on the bed.

Climbing on top of you, he held your hands above your head as he kissed you again when suddenly you heard a click. He sat back on your legs and when he cupped your face with both hands you realised he’d broken out of the handcuffs. You tried to sit up but found both of your hands locked into the cuffs and chained to the bed post.

The god traced the line of your mouth with his thumb as you tried to find the words to speak. “Don’t talk unless I say so,” he said, his voice thick with desire. “In fact, just don’t make a sound.”

Loki placed another kiss on your lips before trailing his mouth down your neck, along your collar bone, across your chest… He pulled on the fabric of your top and freed your breasts from your bra, caressing the sensitive skin with touches so light that you couldn’t help but moan in response. You suddenly felt a sharp pain as Loki bit down, a “polite” reminder to stay silent.

You felt his hands start to tug your jeans off and you lifted your hips, urging him not to stop. He covered the inside of your thighs with kisses, slowly getting closer to your most sensitive areas. Every time his mouth got near enough to send a shudder through your body, Loki would shift his attention elsewhere.

Showered with such gentle exploration, you almost broke when he slid a finger between your legs. You were hyper aware of every moment and bucked your hips to try and get him to go faster. He placed a strong hand on your stomach to stop you from trying to take control and painfully slowly began to tease you.

Too caught up in the sensations to remember being quiet, you moaned in pleasure, “Oh, god…”

Suddenly leaving you feeling empty, Loki hovered over you, his hands tracing the curves of your body. With his lips barely touching yours, he asked, “Can you not even follow a simple order to stay quiet?”

You practically melted under his intense glare, a mixture of adoration and lust for you. You mouthed the word “sorry” which made the corners of his mouth turn up before he said, “If you beg, I’ll let you come.”

"I don’t beg for anything,“ you whispered.

"We’ll see about that.”

Loki brought his mouth down between your legs and skilfully began to bring you closer and closer to the edge but never quite granting you release. He slipped his finger back inside you, curling them up as he found your g-spot. With little more than the slightest pressure, you could take it no more.

"Please,“ you mumbled, trying to hold yourself back.

"Please, what, my love?” he asked.

"Loki…“ you breathed heavily. The way he touched you set your senses on fire. It was like nothing you’d ever felt before. "Oh, god… Please?”

You could practically feel his smirk against your skin as he mouthed, “Say the words I want to hear.”

"I beg you…“

As if a dam had been burst open, waves of pleasure rolled over your body. Every nerve felt like it was made of molten lava and it felt as though your entire body was melting away to nothing. When you opened your eyes, you saw Loki looking down at you in awe. He placed a hungry kiss on your lips and you wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him against you.

His movements now were fast and hungry, the earlier gentle touch overpowered by lust. You groaned against his lips, arching your back as he thrust into you, filling you completely. It felt like your bodies were made for each other, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle.

When you came, you came together, holding on to one another tightly. Loki rolled off you and kissed your cheek, his arm draped over you, keeping you close. You turned your face to the side to look at him and felt your insides turn at the affection in his eyes. "Loki,” you whispered.

"Mmm?“

"You can unlock the handcuffs now.”

He reached over your head and you heard him click them free. You snapped one side back onto his wrist just as the sound of the opening lift doors echoed down the hall. In a mad rush you helped each other fix your clothes and practically fell onto the sofa in the living room as a knock sounded at the door. You flicked the TV onto a random channel and you walked calmly to the door.

Tony looked more than a little exhausted and didn’t say anything, just waited for us to hold out our wrists. He pressed a few buttons and the handcuffs clicked open. “How was the signing?”

"Great,“ you replied at the same time that Loki said, "Boring.”

"And the rest of your evening?“

You looked at Loki out of the corner of your eye and, in perfect unison, you said together, "It was fine.”


	6. Chapter 6

Days passed, then weeks, then months before you really started to accept that this spell of good luck might well be permanent. Your days were spent building and testing engines while your nights were totally occupied by Loki. All of the other Avengers knew about you by now. Not all were supportive exactly but, more important than their approval, no-one said anything to SHIELD. You figured that they all thought you deserved a little happiness after what you’d been through.

Loki was indeed on his best behaviour, spending most of his free time just sitting around reading or annoying you - which you didn’t really mind anymore. It had reached a point where everyone but Clint (for fairly understandable reasons) had stopped referring to the god as a prisoner or war criminal; they still thought it about him but now at least kept their lessening disdain to themselves. It seemed like everything had sorted itself out.

One spring morning, as you lay in bed waiting for the sun to rise, you could hear raised voices in the corridor. It wasn’t an unusual event - especially in the early morning when people were returning from missions and tempers were high - but this caught your attention. You snuck out of bed, leaving Loki snoring gently, and crept through the rooms to your front door.

Your ear to the crack, you could make out the most part of a very heated conversation between Tony and another man, whose voice you didn’t recognise.

"She is the most qualified for the job, Stark,“ the man retorted. You wondered who they were referring to. ‘She’ didn’t narrow it down much; there was a disproportionally high amount of exceptionally skilled women connected to the Tower in some way or another.

Tony clearly wasn’t swayed by this argument. "Find someone else. She’s not interested.”

"Have you told her how much is at stake?“

"The stakes are always high in this game. This conversation is done.”

They’d moved too far down the hallway for you to hear the rest of the discussion but you could make out the sound of the lift doors closing, presumably as Tony’s unwelcome guest made his leave. You tried to work out what that had been about. Probably something to do with Natasha. You could think of no one more qualified in anything than her and she had been a little distant for the last few days; whatever she’d seen on her last mission had affected her far more than she was letting on. Tony had clearly noticed as much and just wanted to let her have a break.

You went about your morning as usual, the overheard conversation slipping your mind somewhere between showering and eating breakfast. Stretching out on the sofa and turning on the news, you were vaguely aware of Loki finally getting himself out of bed. He leant over the back of the sofa and placed a kiss on your head before heading back to bed, complaining of a headache.

The news was as depressing as usual. The President had gone and offended another world leader. Europe was in turmoil as their intense divorce proceedings with Britain came to another stalemate and who even knew what was happening in the East. Something caught you attention as you dozed on the sofa, though.

Breaking news: there was a strange situation developing in Washington DC where a building not far from the white house was under siege.

There was a group of dissidents hiding out, claiming to be holding fifty plus people hostage. If they didn’t get what they wanted - no one seemed to know what they actually wanted yet, though - they’d kill the hostages one by one and then, when they ran out of bodies, they’d bring the entire city down. It sounded extreme (because it clearly was) but the threat seemed to be serious.

You headed out to the main living room where Natasha and Steve were sat watching the same news broadcast, just on a much larger TV. You perched yourself beside the Captain and asked, “What do you think?”

"They aren’t messing,“ Natasha said, pausing the news feed. She pointed to some small shadow as if it were the most important lead. "Look: they’ve got people in the streets too.”

"How do you know they aren’t just passersby?“

She gave you an incredulous look. "I’ve been watching the live feed for almost an hour. They aren’t innocent members of the public looking for a show. I can’t say what it is exactly but they move differently and just seem out of place there.”

You had to take her word for it.. She had far more experience in this area than you. You’d never had the patience for surveillance when you’d worked for SHIELD. You preferred to just get in there, get the job done and leave as soon as possible. Stake outs were for other agents. Give you a bomb and you’d be happy.

"To blow up the whole city, surely they’d need an atom bomb?“ The Captain asked, aimed more at you than Natasha. "If they had one of those, why not just say? It’d be far more effective than holding a building of people to ransom.”

"It’d have to be a pretty impressive weapon to destroy that much from the ground,“ you agreed. "Although… Do you know what’s under that building? I don’t think they chose it just because it’s close to the White House.”

You wracked your brain for the piece of information you needed, struggling to find it in the depths of your mind. Suddenly it came to you and you asked JARVIS to bring up schematics of the area. Pointing to the screen, you explained, “The electrical grid converges with the gas under that street. If they could overload the system at that point, the devastation it could cause would be immense. And if they somehow set off a chain reaction in the gas pipes…”

You didn’t finish your sentence because Tony walked in, looking uncharacteristically exhausted. “We need to talk. Now.”

Blindly following him towards the kitchen, you found yourself feeling nervous. You hadn’t felt this kind of deep terror for years. In fact, the last time it had been this bad was before your last mission with SHIELD. You had a terrible fear in your gut that you knew what he was going to ask of you. As it turned out, you’d been right in your fear.

"I’ve been trying since last night to get them to find someone else but there is no one. They are all out dealing with other devices. Images came in ten minutes ago and no one knows what to do with it,“ he said, handing over a small pad. You flicked through the information, intrigued by what you saw despite yourself. "They’ve been scanning it from a distance and say it’s going to go off within the next few hours unless you can find a way to disable it. There’s nothing I can do, Y/N. You’ve been called and the helicopter will be here within the hour.”

Staring blankly at him while you waited for your senses to return, you finally managed to stutter, “Me? In the field? But you said…”

"I know what I said. You should never have been dragged back but I can’t do anything to stop this. I’ll come with you, if you want, but I can’t get you out of this.“ You could feel his pain at having to deliver the news to you. Since you’d arrived here, Tony had looked out for you like family as he tried to fix what had happened between you so many years before. You’d long forgiven him but the protection he offered was still nice.

Against your better judgement, having now regained most of your composure, you simply nodded. "You should stay here. I don’t need you to distract me.”

He didn’t look convinced but you gave him no chance to argue. “I have to do this alone, Tony. I can’t have you or anyone I care about being around in case it goes wrong. Please don’t tell Loki, though. He’ll try to stop me. If all goes well, I’ll be back before he gets out of bed.”

"Y/N, are you sure about this?“

"I’ll be fine!” you hissed. “I can handle it. I’m not going to mess this up.”

Immediately, you felt bad for shouting at him but he told you he understood. Tony gave you a quick huge and when he left you felt hollow. Despite your emptiness, your mind was clear so you set to work reading through the information pad and distracting yourself with the technical details you loved so much.

The helicopter arrived early and you snuck up onto the roof before anyone had the chance to wish you good luck. You didn’t need their luck or their sympathy. You certainly didn’t need Loki giving you a reason to stay when people were counting on you.

With as perfect timing as ever, you saw him step out onto the roof and in a moment of weakness, seeing the look on his face, you almost told the pilot to set down again. But you didn’t. You flew away, a heavy weight on your chest as you left him behind.

There was another agent on the transport with you - probably to make sure you didn’t jump out the helicopter and end it all - who studied you with youthful and eager eyes. He was ready for anything and kept asking questions about your past until you finally shouted at him to stop. If this was going to succeed, you certainly didn’t need the failures of history on your mind.

Sometime later, having touched down in a remote landing site and been briefed in an unmarked car heading towards the centre of the madness, you were snuck into the sewage system and led about under the city to your destination. You were left alone with your tools as everyone with an ounce of common sense fled.

The IED hung from the ceiling of the tunnel, eerily silent. You’d always preferred bombs that ticked or had a clock face. Aside from offering a constant reminder of the danger, it made it seem more like a Hollywood B-movie rather than real life. This explosive had nothing. It was just encased in a two meter wide metal shell, plain and unassuming.

You took a few scans of the IED and soon knew where best to break the casing, which you did so without fear. Whilst the device itself was complicated, the way it was attached and entombed were amateurish and rushed to say the least.

Once it was on the ground, you felt more confident. Standing above a mess of wires, tubes full of unknown chemicals and complex electronics, you tried to decide how best to proceed. This was unlike anything you’d ever seen before but that made you more excited than worried. You’d always loved a challenge.

As you studied the connection, something started happening. You couldn’t work out what, exactly, but you knew something was changing. Your equipment was, in essence, freaking out about the bomb. It couldn’t make heads or tails about what it was reading and just showed a mess of information - no use to anyone.

Then you noticed it. In amidst the illusion - for, however it was being achieved, that’s what you believed to be happening - was a single wire that hadn’t moved. You moved the rest of the wires carefully aside and, in a rare moment of madness, decided to just pull it.

You couldn’t say what made you so reckless but you clearly had a guardian angel as it didn’t explode in your face. In fact, it stopped registering on half your machinery and you realised you’d inadvertently stopped the thing. Still, you weren’t taking any chances and slowly started to take it apart. Every component was bagged and tagged as you dismantled the major parts of the device so you could study it later on.

Finally convinced you were done, you radioed the other agents to say the scene was clear. They met you a few minutes later and took all the evidence away from you. You tried to protest but gave up; it didn’t matter anymore. You just wanted to go back to your normal life - if normal was the right word for it.

Just as you were climbing up from the sewers, you heard something in the distance. You recognised the sound immediately. “Get out!” you screamed. “Clear the area! There’s another bomb!”

You didn’t make it up the ladder before the shockwave hit you. It felt strange flying through the air but you couldn’t ponder the thought for long as you soon hit the hard concrete and couldn’t remember anything else.

When you woke up, your entire body felt numb and you couldn’t move your muscles more than a pathetic twitch. Opening you eyes, you found yourself in a sparklingly clean hospital room, multiple tubes coming out of your arms and a machine beeping slowly beside you.

Loki sat asleep on a small plastic chair in the corner of the room. Somehow sensing you were now awake, he began twitching and was pulled out of his own dreams. When he looked at you, the expression on his face broke your heart. He practically dived across the room and pulled you into a hug. He let go, immediately apologising for hurting you but - after eventually finding your voice - you told him that you couldn’t feel anything anyway so it didn’t matter.

"I thought you’d never come back,“ Loki whispered, holding your hand tightly. It was as if he couldn’t believe you were actually with him and that letting go would mean you drifting away forever.

"I had to take the mission, Loki.” He gave you a confused look and you wondered what he was talking about. “You mean when I got on the helicopter, right? You know I’d have come straight back.”

"Y/N, you’ve been in a coma for three weeks…“ he said slowly. You felt his grip tighten around your hand as he explained what had happened. "You were brought into the hospital with severe internal bleeding and a serious concussion. The doctors were amazed that you’d escaped with that little damage.”

You tried to digest the news but couldn’t make your sleepy brain understand. You’d been close to death before but this time it had almost taken you and you’d not even said goodbye to Loki. Your breathing started to become erratic as the reality of your mortality - and his relative immortality - hit you hard. All you could do was cry in his arms.

Some while later, having pulled yourself together, you asked, “Did anyone else get hurt?”

Loki shook his head, pride in his eyes. “You saved them all. Hundred of agents swarmed the area once you’d disarmed the first bomb and no one was killed. The agents by the sewers received a few broken bones when the street collapsed beneath them - onto you - but no one died. You saved them all.”

"All I did was disarm a bomb…“ you muttered. "Have they examined it yet?”

Hiding a smirk - amused that even after learning about being in a coma that you wanted to get straight back into the work - Loki told you, “They tried but couldn’t get any useful information from it.”

Before you could ask another question the door opened and, suddenly realising you were awake, the Avengers pushed themselves into your room with such excitement that they practically fell over one another. You hugged them all tentatively, still not quite in full control of your body. They filled you in on the events of the last few weeks but you barely listened. You just rested against Loki, never wanting to be apart from him again.

Always astute, Natasha was the first to notice. She turned to the others and said, “I think we should let Y/N get some rest, don’t you?”

They all nodded and bid you farewell, except Tony and Thor who stuck around. Not wanting Loki to be around for whatever was coming, you asked him to go find someone about food. He didn’t want to leave but would do anything for you, so disappeared to make inquiries.

It was Tony that spoke first. “I should have fought harder to stop you from going alone.”

You reached out and took his hand. “It’s not your fault. No one died. You shouldn’t feel guilty. It’s my fault that I didn’t check for secondary devices.”

He didn’t seem convinced but gave you a small smile anyway. He told you that he was just glad you were okay. You realised then that there was something else he had to say but it clearly wasn’t news he wanted to deliver. Turning to Thor, Tony asked him if he would tell you instead and you knew you weren’t going to like it.

"You have shown great courage these last few months, my lady,“ he told you proudly. You weren’t convinced that you’d done anything remotely brave but let him carry on regardless. You were still half off your face on pain killers so didn’t really have the strength to argue. "I have come to inform you that your duties guarding my brother are through. He is being welcomed back to Asgard, the consensus being that he has spent long enough here on Midgard.”

You practically felt your jaw hit the floor, despite the fact that your entire body was numb. “You’re taking him back? As a prisoner?”

The god shook his head. “He shall have the same freedoms that he has here, so long as he behaves. Loki has been gone too long. Being home will be best for him.”

"I… When is this happening? Does he know?“

"Loki knew that eventually he would be allowed to return but has not yet been informed of the good news. The plan is to leave tonight.”

You suddenly felt sick and it must have shown on your face because Tony called for a nurse to check you over. About ten minutes later Loki returned to your now lonesome room, the others having left on the nurse’s orders. The moment he stepped back through the door and saw your expression, he knew something was wrong.

Crossing the room to your bedside in three long strides, he pulled you into a tight embrace without saying a word. He brought a hand to your cheek and, somehow knowing your troubles, told you, “I won’t leave you.”

"It doesn’t sound like you have much say in it,“ you sighed, relaying back what Thor had said to you. Breathing deeply to slow your heart rate, conscious of the fact that the monitor beside you was now beeping at a scarily fast pace, you brushed your lips against his and gave your most convincing smile. "Loki, go back to Asgard with your brother. I’ll be fine.”

His gaze narrowed and for the briefest of moments you were actually scared of the god. Of course, it quickly passed but that look in his eye was hard to forget. Loki traced the line of your bottom lip with his thumb and whispered, “I don’t want you to be just fine. You deserve better. You deserve to be live and feel like a queen.”

"I’m not a queen, though.“

"You are to me.” He held you tightly as you wrapped your arms around his neck, never wanting to let him go. When he pulled away, he wiped the single tear from your face and said, “Come with me, Y/N. I don’t want to live without you. I need you. I love you. Please, come with me to Asgard.”


	7. Chapter 7

As strange as it may seem, the decision to move to Asgard with Loki hadn’t actually been too hard to make. Of course, you had family here but you rarely ever saw them anyway. You’d never really settled and had spent most of your life without a permanent home. Since you had little to leave behind, moving again hardly seemed that big a deal.

It was saying goodbye to your friends that was harder. Since moving in with the Avengers, they had become a huge part of your life and leaving them behind wasn’t easy. For the past few months, you’d been a part of a makeshift family. You’d almost had a place to call home. You didn’t want to leave them but you knew you couldn’t be apart from Loki.

Thor had been astoundingly amenable to Loki’s request to bring you back with them. It had, somewhat unsurprisingly, been Tony that made the biggest deal of you moving to the other side of the galaxy. Having heard the news, he stormed into your hospital room and shouted, “Tell me that this is some kind of bad joke!”

"You’ll rupture something if you don’t calm down,“ you mumbled, throwing the last of your things into a small bag. Whilst he hadn’t been happy about it, the nurse had cleared you to leave the hospital if you felt up to it and you were in the process of getting ready to do just that. "I’m a big girl, Tony. I know what I’m doing.”

Crouching down in front of you, Tony gripped your shoulders and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I just… Shouldn’t you wait a while until you’re fully healed? Maybe when you’re feeling more like your old self then you’ll see…”

"If you dare tell me I’m making a mistake…“ you warned, leaving the threat empty. Finally looking at his face, you regretted your tone. He was only trying to look out for you, as he had done for as long as you’d been colleagues and then friends. "I can’t do this anymore, Tony. If I stay, they’ll try and put me out there again. I just can’t face that. I was in a coma for three weeks and could have slipped away without saying goodbye to any of you. Please, try to understand why I have to go.”

"I do, Y/N, I just wish you weren’t moving to another planet!“

A smile tugged at the corner of your lips, truly realising for the first time that you actually were going to leave Earth and step foot on another planet. You stood up together and pulled each other into a tight embrace. "I’ll come back for holidays,” you promised. “Try not to destroy the world while I’m gone.”

"I promise nothing,“ Tony said, digging his hand into his pocket. He pressed it into yours, shaking his head again. "Try not to lose this again.”

You opened your closed fist to see Emily’s green bracelet. A sharp stabbing pain in your chest almost caused you to double over at the sight of it. You hadn’t even noticed that you’d lost it in the explosion but somehow Tony had managed to get it back to you - yet again.

He patted your shoulder, recognising your stunned silence as thanks. “Be safe, Y/N. Remember that you’ll always have a room in the Tower if you want it.”

Tony walked you out to the main reception where Thor and Loki were waiting for you. You had to double take when you saw them in their Asgardian armour. It was pretty standard attire for the god of thunder but you’d gotten so used to seeing Loki in normal clothing that you couldn’t help but stare.

There was no denying it; he looked good. Judging by the enormous smirk on his face when he saw you, Loki knew exactly what you were thinking. He pulled you into a deep kiss, passionate but somehow still gentle.

"Lady Y/N, are you certain that you are strong enough to travel to Asgard?“ Thor asked, leading you out to the car park. You gave a final wave to Tony as you took your positions, waiting for Heimdall to open the Bifrost.

"I’ll be fine,” you said automatically. Catching Loki’s expression, you reassured them both, “Honestly, I’m sure that I’ve been through a lot worse and there must be some place for me to rest when we arrive if I need it. How bad can it be?”

As it turned out, it was a pretty awful experience. Your body was still in the process of healing multiple broken bones and the strange stress of flying through space didn’t quite agree with you. It was a beautiful thing to behold - no doubting that as the shimmering rainbow lights flew past your eyes - but it really did take its toll on your body.

You held onto Loki for dear life, his strong grip around your waist the only thing convincing you that you weren’t being torn in two. Everything felt weird and distant while the same time feeling as if you were being squashed into a tiny little cube of matter. In the end, you simply buried your head in his chest until you finally stumbled out into the Bifrost, thankful to feel solid ground beneath your feet once again.

"Welcome to Asgard,“ a deep voice said from nearby.

"Thank you, Heimdall.” Thor nodded in the man’s direction before immediately heading off towards the main palace.

You stared at the Bifrost in amazement, completely overwhelmed by the sight. “This is just… Wow! I mean… Wow!” You let out a small laugh, trying to compose yourself. You jumped up the few steps and extended your hand to the guardian of the Bifrost. “I’m so sorry; this is just a little overwhelming. I’m Y/N, by the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Heimdall shook your hand firmly and gave a small nod of recognition in Loki’s direction. “Likewise, Lady Y/N. May the rest of Asgard stand up to your high expectations.”

"I’m sure it will,“ you said, practically bouncing down the stairs back to Loki’s side. You linked your fingers in his, surprised by how tightly he held on to you, and asked, "So… Are we following Thor or just standing around all day?”

The palace was beyond description. You could never have imagined a structure so meticulously crafted, so perfect in every sense that it was almost unreal. The gold everywhere was, in your humble opinion, a little too much but it did nothing to detract from the sheer marvel that was Odin’s kingdom.

Naturally, you soon felt out of place in your tight black jeans and green camisole. Surrounded by truly wonderful specimens of men wrapped tightly in leather and the most beautiful women wearing flowing, silk gowns in every colour imaginable, it wasn’t hard to feel inadequate.

They all regarded you with curiosity, most having never met a Midgardian before, and your insecurities began to grow even more under the constant gaze of the court. But it was Loki who you felt worse for; the lords and ladies of the court regarded him with something akin to disgust, as if he were nothing more than dirt on their shoes.

"Are you okay?“ you whispered to him as you were led through the palace.

"I’m fi…” he stopped himself, almost smiling but unable to in light of the unwanted attention. “I never particularly enjoyed being at court before and it seems I’m hardly any more welcomed than I was back then.”

"I’m right here for you, Loki.“

Your eyes immediately fell on the grand throne in which Odin sat. Thor was stood by him, presumably filling him in on current Earth events, when he turned towards you and waved you over. "Father, this is Lady Y/N,” he proclaimed proudly. “It is with she that Loki has spent the past many months on Midgard.”

"She does not look like a lady,“ Odin said, his eye studying you intently. Whilst only reinforcing a point you’d been trying to make for months, his outright dismissal hit you hard. "You may return to Earth now that Loki is back where he belongs.”

"I’m not going anywhere,“ you replied uncertainly. You had no idea how one would usually address the king of Asgard, let alone when disagreeing with him. Part of you said it hardly mattered; if he didn’t consider you a lady then you had no reason to follow his rules of etiquette.

"You have no reason to stay. Your job here is done.”

"My job on Earth is done,“ you said, dissecting his words in a desperate attempt to stumble across a legitimate reason to stay. "I’ve yet to start my job here on Asgard.”

Odin leant forward in his enormous, golden throne, his hand tightening around his staff. “There is no job for you here on Asgard. Return to Midgard where you belong. Know your place, child.”

You went to take a step towards the king, but Loki held you back. For the first time throughout the entire exchange, you looked over to him and what you saw… Well, it almost broke you. There was a legitimate fear in his eyes. Not of Odin, per say, but of what he would say. Loki knew how easily Odin could break a person. Having experienced that anger, that rejection himself, the last thing he wanted was for you to get hurt the same way.

However, seeing Loki so vulnerable only convinced you further that fighting Odin was the right thing to do. Someone had to stand up to him. By the gods, it scared you but you were sure you’d faced down worse.

Taking a deep breath, you implored Odin to see. “I do know my place. It is at Loki’s side. If you want me to leave then you will have to get your guards to drag me back to the Bifrost, kicking and screaming.”

It was clear that Odin wanted nothing more than to watch you be removed from the throne room but before he could say the words, Thor jumped to your rescue. “Father, see reason. It is through Lady Y/N’s efforts that Loki has begun to change his ways. Allowing her to stay on Asgard would be a sensible decision.”

A dreadful silence filled the vast hall, hanging in the air like electricity before a storm. You were scared to look away from Odin in case he perceived it as weakness on your part, but you could see the guards shifting awkwardly in your peripheral.

Moments before the atmosphere exploded, Loki took the smallest step forward and said, “Y/N is going to stay with me on Asgard. If you will not allow it, then I shall return to Midgard with her.”

Odin seemed unable to formulate a response so simply waved dismissively in your direction. Taking your leave before he could change his mind, you let Loki drag you away. He led you through the castle to his old room, subconsciously taking you along the most convoluted route in order to avoid running into others.

"Loki…“ you whispered, stepping through the grand doors into his room.

He slid his arms around your waist and pulled you close, trapping you between his body and the wall. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving against yours as he tried to calm himself down. You tilted your head upwards, brushing your lips against him in a feather light touch.

Weaving your hands through his hair, you held him in place. Your foreheads resting against one another, you asked, "Do you want to talk about it?”

"No,“ Loki spat, immediately regretting the outburst. His voice barely holding steady, he whispered, "I’m sorry, my love.”

"Don’t be sorry.“ You brushed the hair out of his face and saw that his eyes were bloodshot. His breathing was still irregular and if not for the support of the wall he would have long since fallen to his knees. "Oh, Loki… I know it can’t be easy being back here, seeing him again after everything that happened.”

"Who would ever have imagined that I would long to return to Stark’s dreadful tower,“ he muttered. The faintest smile played on his lips as he recalled the many days and nights you’d spent together there.

"Don’t let Tony hear you say that,” you grinned.

For the next few days, you and Loki hid in his room. Most of the time, you rested silently by the window overlooking the garden. You sat there by the god’s side, reading peacefully. Almost no-one came to visit you - for which you were very grateful - except for a terrified servant who came at first to deliver you a few dresses and then returned with all your meals. It seemed that neither you nor Loki were welcome at Odin’s table.

On your fifth day in Asgard, cabin fever began to set it. You’d been there for almost a week and had seen none of the planet’s supposed splendour. It was like being stuck inside whilst on holiday and it was starting to drive you mad.

Watching you pace from the bed, Loki looked over the top of his book and asked, “What’s bothering you, my love?”

"I want to go for a walk around the gardens.“

"Y/N, I’m not so sure that that is a good idea.”

"I don’t care,“ you said defiantly. Whipping around to face him, the skirt of your dress billowing as you turned, you held out a hand for him to take. "Please? Thor said that you’d have freedom here; surely that extends to the gardens too?”

Loki sagged against the pillows, looking practically defeated by life. No, not by life. By Odin. You absolutely hated the fact that, since you’d been here on Asgard, the fire in his eyes had dimmed. He was more trapped here than he ever had been on Earth.

Your eyes skimmed the room for the thousandth time, searching for some other way to snap him out of this state. Crossing the vast space, you grabbed the dagger Loki had left lying on the table and threw it in his direction.

"Get up,“ you ordered him. He barely managed to dodge the blade and was now staring at it - embedded in his favourite pillow - in shock. "You are not going to sit around and mope like a child, Loki. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

"You always have something to say,“ he growled under his breath, pulling the dagger free as he leapt to his feet. You took a few steps back as he stormed towards you now holding a blade in each hand, having conjured another from thin air.

You dodged his first blow easily, but misjudged the second and the sharp knife edge ripped through the many layers of your skirt like they were barely there. Knocking Loki off balance with a kick to the back of his knee, you grabbed the blade he dropped and made a swipe at him without hesitation. Your attack did no damage - the thick leather protecting him too well.

Loki grabbed your wrist and flung you across the room; thankfully, you managed to stop yourself from hitting the wall, but your landing was far from elegant. Grunting, you reached out and pulled the rug from beneath Loki’s feet.

His balance far better than yours, Loki leapt forward and swiped the blade down at you. With a flick of your wrist you blocked the attack, using your free hand to whack him in the stomach. You watched with a twisted sense of achievement as he stumbled backwards.

"You will pay for that, my love,” Loki growled, his words sounding more like a promise than a threat. As he swung for you again, you caught sight of the light returning to his eyes; intense and hungry, full of desire for you.

You shot him your filthiest smirk as you went in for another attack which he returned in kind.

A thunderous crash froze you to the spot as a legion of guards stormed into Loki’s room. He turned to them, the grin on his replaced by a look of pure hatred, and yelled, “How dare you enter my private wing! You have no right to be here!”

"One of the servants reported witnessing you attack the Midgardian. Upon the King’s orders, you are to be removed from your quarters to the dungeons. All of your privileges have been revoked.“

You wrapped a hand around Loki’s arm from behind, stopping him from doing something he’d later regret. "Don’t make a scene,” you whispered. “I’ll go to Odin and straighten this out. It’ll be easier if you just go quietly. Please, Loki…”

Letting out a sigh of relief as you felt his muscles relax beneath your grip, you watched as Loki allowed the guards to escort him to the dungeon. Somehow, he managed to maintain an air of calm - or at least a coldness that hid his anger. You, on the other hand, made no secret of your frustration.

Storming through the palace, you made your way to the grand hall. The guards on the doors refused to let you enter, claiming important business was being held inside, so you began hunting for another way in. It wasn’t long until you found one.

A young woman wearing a dull, woollen dress exited out of an extremely well camouflaged door, carrying a tray of empty plates and glasses. You caught the door just before it closed and slipped into the dark passageway. Seconds later, you found yourself behind one of the gigantic pillars in the hall.

"He’s far too dangerous to keep alive on Asgard,“ a stranger’s voice shouted.

"He still hasn’t been properly punished for the lives he took on Midgard!” bellowed another.

"You claimed spending time in that forsake realm would be enough to change him,“ a third put forward, far more calmly than the others. "He has clearly bewitched the mortal and spent the last few months living in luxury. He must face retribution for his crimes.”

A heavy silence hung over the table as they deliberated. Odin sat back in his throne intently watching his advisors bicker whilst managing to exude an air of disinterest. Of course, it was entirely possible that he really didn’t care what happened to Loki after all.

It was Thor that broke the silence. You hadn’t even realised he was there, but you would know his voice anywhere. “Father, this incident is unfortunate. Whilst it is in Loki’s nature to be unpredictable, I do believe him to be changed. There must be more to this than meets the eye.”

"There is,“ you said, stepping out from the shadows. "Loki did not attack me. Well, he did but only after I made the first move.”

"You attacked him?“ Odin asked incredulously. It was clear from his expression that he didn’t believe you capable of anything, let alone taking on the once prince of Asgard. 

"Just because I am woman does not make me incapable of fighting,” you snapped. The anger you’d been holding back was now bubbling up to the surface. You were trying your darnest not to explode but it certainly wasn’t easy. “Loki and I trained in combat back on Earth. That is what was happening today not some random, vicious attack as your advisors seem to think.”

"Remember your place here, girl,“ Odin said, his voice low. "If you do not learn respect, I shall send you to the dungeons where you belong.”

"You wouldn’t dare.“

As it turned out, he would. And he did.


	8. Chapter 8

"Well, that clearly didn’t go as planned,“ Loki jibed, resting comfortably against the wall of his cell as he finally broke the silence between you.

When he’d first seen you come through the doors to the dungeon, he’d jumped to his feet, alight with excitement. That joy faded instantaneously when a heavily armoured guard pushed you into the cell opposite him. Loki had taken his anger out on the poor guard, threatening him with many a creative end until he was out of earshot.

"Do me a favour, Loki? Shut up.”

"Don’t be that way, Y/N.“ He pouted in your direction and it was almost enough to quell your frustration at the situation. Almost. Forever able to pick up on the smallest change in your mood, Loki grinned and said, "That’s better. You don’t need to worry, my love. We’ll be out of here soon enough.”

You raised your eyebrows at that, wondering what sort of escape plan he’d devised. You supposed that he’d have needed some way to pass all the time he’d been imprisoned here before Thor brought him back to Earth. You shook your head at the memory; it seemed years ago now that he’d sauntered into your house and made himself at home on your sofa.

Allowing yourself to dwell on the memory for a second longer before pushing it away, you looked over to him and asked, “What are you thinking?”

"That you should really take that dress back to the tailor. The tear up the side is most distracting. Not that I’d ever complain, of course.“

Holding back a sigh, you ignored his comments about your torn skirt (which was in fact so badly ripped that when you moved it now left nothing to the imagination) and carried on running your hands along the edge of the cell wall. You weren’t entirely sure how the shield was being generated but you could make a pretty good guess at how to short it out - or whatever the magical equivalent was.

Pulling a few hair pins from the tangled mess that was your hair, you began testing the shield for weak spots; you weren’t willing to touch it directly with your hands, since the one time you had tried you’d ended up with an incredible shock that had blistered your fingers.

As you systematically worked your way around the prison cell, you wondered what the Avengers were doing back on Earth. Had they been here, they would have broken you out hours ago and probably killed Odin for good measure. The thought had certainly crossed your mind a few times.

"You missed a spot,” Loki jeered. From where you were crouched, still testing the force field for weak spots, you looked over to his cell. Much to your surprise, and anger, the god was now stood in the hallway between the cells, leaning back against a pillar with a smug smile in his eyes.

"How did you do that?“ you asked as you stepped back, waiting expectantly for him to drop the shield around your holding cell and set you free. When he made no move, you rested a hand on your hip and groaned, "You’ve been able to do that all along, haven’t you? Was it fun watching me try to escape on my own?”

The only sign of response you received was the slightest twitching on his lips as he failed to hold back his amusement. All it took was a gentle flick of his hand and the golden force field keeping you trapped faded away.

You jumped down from the prison cell and wrapped your arms around him. Loki rested his hand on your waist, his fingers sliding under the ripped fabric of your dress. “I don’t think here is quite the best place for that,” you muttered, tilting your head up and brushing your lips over his.

"Stop encouraging me then,“ he said, tugging on your bottom lip with his teeth.

"They’re watching, Loki,” you whispered, briefly looking over your shoulder to where the nearest prisoners sat in their cells. They all suddenly seemed very interested in the pair of you, and not just because you’d managed to break free.

Loki’s deft fingers held you tighter and you knew you’d find bruises there later. “Let them.”

Suddenly you found yourself pressed against a hard, stone wall, Loki leaning so closely against you that you could hardly breathe. “Loki, now really isn’t the time…”

"Be quiet,“ he shushed. His entire body had tensed up and, peeking out from underneath his arms, you realised it was because the guards were changing. One looked in your direction and blinked a few times before shaking his head and leaving the dungeons.

The air around you tingled with a green shimmer and you realised that Loki must have hidden you with his magic. He took your hand, wrapping his fingers tightly in yours, and pulled you off down an exceptionally well hidden hallway.

"How did you know this was here?” you asked, letting him guide you through the dark passage. It was too dark for your eyes to adjust and, on more than one occasion, Loki had to catch you from falling.

"I grew up here. I know of all the secret passageways and hidden doors throughout Asgard, having spent years running around them. It may be easy for you to forget, Y/N, but I was once a prince here. I wasn’t always confined to my quarters or locked like a monster in a cage.“

You came to an abrupt stop, pulling on Loki’s arm so hard that he almost lost his balance. Although you hadn’t seen his expression, you had heard the resentment in his voice and, even though you knew his anger wasn’t really directed at you, it was hard to hear. "Don’t you dare take that tone with me, Loki. In all the time I’ve know you, I have never once treated you like a monster. A pain in the ass, certainly, but never a monster.”

The god opened his mouth to retaliate but you cut him off, shoving him backwards with a force that surprise you both. “No, don’t. I understand that this is a shitty situation and I’m sorry. It’s my fault we are in this mess, I know. If I hadn’t started that fight with you then we wouldn’t have ended up in the dungeons but it is what it is, Loki.”

"Y/N, I…“

"Not finished,” you said, holding up a hand to silence him once again. “The thing is, Loki, that this is also your fault. Your choices are what stripped you of your titles and your freedom in the first place. We could argue who or what is to blame until my dying breath but it doesn’t make a difference. It can’t be changed now and if you so much as dare to entertain the possibility of another life, one where you kept your precious title and had the freedom to wander through this miserable palace like a spoilt prince, then you and I can part ways now.”

A heavy moment of silence hung between you, the atmosphere pressing down hard on your chest. A lump formed in your throat as you suddenly feared that Loki might actually regret being with you. Not only that but, as selfish as it was, you also needed his help to escape the palace. You couldn’t do that alone.

Ever so softly, almost scared that you were going to shout at him again, Loki took your hand and brought it to his lips. “Y/N, I would trade those things a million times over to be with you. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken this out on you.”

"No, you bloody well shouldn’t have,“ you agreed, your tone lightening slightly. "I love you, Loki. That isn’t going to change whether we are locked in a prison or allowed to wander freely through the world.”

"I love you too, Y/N.“ As the distant sound of marching guards began to draw nearer, Loki said, "Come on, we should keep moving if we are to get out of here alive.”

Ten minutes and an unimaginable amount of stairs later, you found yourself stepping out into the palace gardens. Loki climbed out first, clearing the overgrown vines that covered the doorway and stretching out a hand to help you up when he was certain no one else was around.

For a brief moment, you let yourself pretend that everything was fine and took in the beauty of the gardens. Everywhere you looked there were blooming flowers of species you’d never seen before. In the morning sun they were such an intense colour that they hardly seemed real.

And the smell… The smell was overwhelming. It was like a perfume on the breeze, swirling around you and inviting you to frolic among the petals, gaily and without care. If not for Loki’s trembling hand in your own, you would happily have skipped away and forgotten about the fact you were now technically on the run.

The reality of the situation hit you hard in the chest and you had to lean against Loki’s strong frame for stability. He held you tightly and reassured, “Do not worry, my love. I have a plan.”

"Do you?“ you asked, unable to keep the disbelief from your voice.

"Well, I got us out this far, didn’t I?”

"I thought not,“ you said, rolling your eyes. "Thankfully, I do have a plan. And I’m sorry, Loki, but we’re leaving Asgard.”

Loki’s face darkened but before he could argue you pulled him into a nearby bush to avoid the patrolling guards. When they finally passed, you clambered out, cursing under your breath as the thorns and branches ripped your dress even more.

"What is the fastest way back to the Bifrost?“ you asked, already heading off in a random direction through the gardens.

"Not that way,” Loki sighed. He strode off, his green leather jacket flowing behind him, and you had to run to catch up with him. You wove your way through the gardens in silence, the god managing to expertly chart a route that avoided every single patrol of guards.

Surprisingly, the path that Loki chose led you to the stables. You stood anxiously at the door, eyeing the horses with apprehension. You’d never really trusted horses; half a tonne of animal governed by 2 pound of brain. Getting anywhere near that hardly seemed safe.

You watched on with curiosity as Loki walked calmly through the stable, over to a very specific animal. The creature stilled, somehow recognising the god, and nuzzled its head against Loki’s face. He stroked the horse’s mane, muttering about how the stable boys had clearly neglected him, before calling you over.

"He won’t hurt you,“ Loki promised, sensing your fear. "He’s a good boy.”

"I never took you for an animal person,“ you admitted, hiding the smile on your face behind your hand. You’d never seen Loki so calm and relaxed as he was now; it was almost like he had reverted back to a time in his life before everything had turned sour.

"Animals are loyal,” he said by way of an explanation. Having fully saddled up the horse, he jumped up onto its back with an elegance you envied.

You eyed the hand he extended to you cautiously, shaking your head. “No way. Not in this dress.”

Rolling his eyes, Loki grabbed you by the arms and pulled you up onto the horse’s back in a completely graceless move. You held onto him tightly, shuffling right up against him and not letting go of his waist. You buried your head in his shoulder and refused to lift it until you’d finally reached the Bifrost.

Never had you been so happy to fall to the ground. It felt amazing to be back on something solid and not moving. Something that couldn’t get angry and throw you off its back. You shuffled away from the horse, ignoring Loki’s laughter, and bumped straight into Heimdall. Staring up at the mountain of a man, you fumbled over your words, trying to come up with an explanation.

"You are supposed to be in the dungeons,“ he said. Somewhat curiously, though, he offered you a hand up and made no move to attack. "The King will not be happy to learn of your escape.”

"It’s a bit too late to stop us now,“ you mumbled under your breath. Brushing your hands on the side of your dress just for something to do, you pleaded, "Please, Heimdall. I can’t stay here.”

Heimdall’s gaze shifted to Loki, who seemed to be ignoring the other Asgardian and just talking to his horse. “Where do you plan to go, my lady? You are unlikely to meet a kind reception in any of the nine realms.”

"I’m not looking for kind receptions. I just want to go back to Earth.“

Loki caught your eye and his disappointment was obvious. He didn’t want to return to the Tower. For all the so called freedom he’d been granted, the Avengers were still incredibly wary of him. He felt more trapped there, surrounded by ‘heroes’, than when he was locked in the dungeons.

You gave him a small smile. You’d thought about this already, of course. And the truth was, you couldn’t stay in the Tower much longer either. Having the company of the Avengers had been great but you missed the solidarity of living in the middle of nowhere. You hadn’t been lying when you’d told Tony that you weren’t a city girl. The peace and tranquillity of the countryside appealed to you far more than a busy rush of faceless people.

It was something you’d been considering for a long time, way before you’d agreed to come to Asgard with the brothers, and as such you had the perfect place. Closing the distance between yourself and Loki, still warily eyeing his horse, you said, "If you can put up with it being just you and me for miles, I know about a lovely little house. It’s surrounded by acres of fields to walk through and has a gorgeous river nearby - although it does get a tad cold in the winter. There’s even a safe room in case of annoying guests, however I hear it’s quite easy to break out of.”

"I thought you liked living in the Tower?“ he questioned, struggling to keep the smile from his face. It was clear that he was thrilled by the prospect of settling down with you, making a life away from anyone and everyone else. However, for all his desire, his need, for such a life, Loki felt selfish accepting the offer. "I couldn’t keep you from your friends.”

"I do love living there and it has been incredible being able to spend time with my friends again. I honestly didn’t believe that things could ever return to the way they were before Emily died. It was amazing to reconnect with the people I thought I’d lost forever.“

You reached up and laced a hand through his hair, recognising the fact that he was beginning to draw away from you. "The thing is, though, I don’t want that life. I want to go back to the solitude and I want you to come with me. I know that this is your home and if you want to stay here then I won’t stop you but I can’t stand by your side and watch it make you miserable.”

Loki brushed his fingers tenderly across the side of your face. You turned into the motion, closing your eyes and simply enjoying his gentle touch. “Are you certain that is what you want, Y/N?”

"Loki, I’d trade all of that a million times over to have a quiet life with you.“ Not giving him a chance to talk himself out of it, you turned to Heimdall and said, "Please, send us back.”

"You are prisoners of the crown. I cannot aid you without going against my King.“ Heimdall turned and walked away, leaving you staring blankly around the Bifrost.

"Don’t trouble yourself,” Loki grumbled, pulling you away from the central platform where lightning was now pouring out of Heimdall’s sword. You hung on to him tightly as his horse bolted back down the rainbow bridge. “He’s a complicated man.”

When you felt a warm breeze blowing through your hair, you opened your eyes and fell to the ground. You were home.


	9. Epilogue

"Y/N, the door!“ Loki yelled from the living room.

"I’m busy!” you screamed back, waving a knife around as you poked your head around the kitchen door. With an overly dramatic groan, earning you a mischievous grin in return, you ran to open the door and were met by a very unexpected face. “Tony?”

He eyed the knife in your hands nervously, letting out a sigh of relief when you put it down on the side table and pulled him inside. Wrapping him into a bear hug so tight the man could hardly breathe, you dragged him into the house, out of the cold. “Tony, what on Earth are you doing here?”

"Me? What are you doing here, Y/N? The last time I saw you, three years ago, you were running off to Asgard with Lo…“ Tony’s eyes fell on the god, who was stretched out comfortably on the sofa playing candy crush on your iPad. "Y/N… Why is Loki here too?”

"I live here, you foolish mortal,“ Loki grumbled. Catching your death glare, he put the iPad down and turned to face your guest. Knowing you expected him to at least play at being civil, the god held out a hand for Tony to take. "It’s not entirely unpleasant to see you again, Stark.”

"Yeah…“ Tony shook Loki’s hand, glancing over at you with an expression of complete befuddlement on his face. He quickly examined the room and realised that there were hundreds of framed photos of you and Loki cluttering every surface.

The bookshelf, which had already been full beforehand, was now overflowing with Asgardian books that Loki had snuck out of Asgard on secret trips back to his home world. Thor had also come to visit one time, carrying with him half the royal library and all of Loki’s confiscated daggers from the armoury - which were now safely locked away in the safe room; not that that stopped Loki from getting at them.

You patted Tony gently on the shoulder and guided him to the spare chair. You yourself sat down beside Loki, who immediately - and almost possessively - put an arm around your waist.

"So… You left Asgard…” Tony pointed out, unable to form a more complex thought. “Did you get bored?”

"Yeah, not quite,“ you mused. Filling him on your short, yet highly eventful, stay on Asgard, you shot him a blinding grin. In all the time that you’d known Tony, you’d never seen him this speechless. Usually, he could at least manage some sarcastic retort to hide his astonishment. You leant over and patted his knee comfortingly. "So, yeah. Technically an enemy of Odin.”

"That certainly sounds one hell of a holiday,“ Tony concluded, finally having regained partial control over his vocal chords. "And since escaping prison, you’ve been…”

Before you could answer, Loki chimed, “Living an incredibly dull life, you’ll be pleased to hear.”

Tony looked between the two of you, still amazed that you hadn’t killed one another after three years of living together in isolation from the rest of the world, when he caught a glitter on your finger. His eyebrows raised so high that they practically fell off his face, he asked incredulously, “You’re getting married? To him?”

For a moment, one terrible moment, you thought that Tony would try to change your mind. However a stupid grin crossed his face and he pulled you into a hug. Turning to Loki, he patted him awkwardly on the shoulder and said, “You’d best treat her like a lady or I’ll kick your ass.”

"I can kick his ass perfectly well on my own, thank you,“ you hit back, snuggling against the god.

"And anyway, she’s not a lady,” Loki argued. Placing a kiss on your hand, holding it tightly on his chest, right over his heart, he said, “She’s far more than that. She’s a queen. My queen. Always and forever.”


End file.
